June 2025
We have seen an increase in patient requests for Mounjaro ( tirzepatide) following recent media coverage, including on BBC.
To ensure fair and sustainable access, the NHS is carefully planning how to integrate Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and other GLP-1 agonists into weight management services. In Coventry and Warwickshire, we are undertaking a full review of our obesity care pathways. This work is essential to provide the necessary capacity and support for patients who may benefit from these treatments.
What This Means for You
NHS referrals: If you need support with weight management, you can be referred to existing combined tier 3 or tier 4 weight management services through your GP
Private treatment: While private clinics may offer weight loss medications, the NHS will not take over the prescribing or monitoring of these treatments
“Right to Choose” Providers: We are aware that at least one “right to choose” provider, Oviva, is promoting its online weight loss service directly to patients. Coventry and Warwickshire ICB does not commission Oviva or any other “right to choose” weight management provider at present, because we do not consider their offer to be consistent with our approach and policy to weight loss services in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Why Are We Taking This Approach?
With around 65% of adults in Coventry and Warwickshire being classified as overweight or obese, demand for these medications is expected to be high. By developing robust systems and pathways, we aim to:
- Prioritise patients most in need
- Ensure safety and proper lifestyle support alongside medication
- Deliver a fair and consistent service
The Mounjaro injections for weight loss will be delivered by a new weight management service that will be set up soon.
January 2025
At our Practice we are constantly looking at preventative healthcare and how we can work with you to recognise early symptoms of serious conditions in order to start treatment and prevent worsening. This could be through medication, surgery or simple lifestyle changes.
Over the next few weeks we will be focusing on Hypertension, otherwise know as high blood pressure, in men between the ages of 45 to 55. Statistics have shown that this group are at a higher risk of this condition. Therefore, monitoring blood pressure each year in these patients can improve the chance of recognising the early signs, enabling a treatment plan to be put in place and reducing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke.
If you receive (or have already received) a text message from the practice asking you to submit a blood pressure reading, we actively encourage you to complete this as soon as convenient. If you have your own monitor, you can submit through the link on your text. Otherwise you can go to your nearest pharmacy that provides Blood Pressure checks and they will take a reading from you and submit it to the practice.
What Next
If your reading is deemed within normal range, you will receive a message from us thanking you for your submission and advising you that you have nothing further required for a year. We recommend that these readings are completed and submitted annually.
If your reading is between 141/91 mmHg and 179/110 mmHg, you will be asked to complete a 7-day monitoring process. This will mean that you will need to take daily readings over a 7-day period and submit these to the practice. This can done through your own blood pressure machine, a Pharmacy that provides blood pressure checks or you can contact the practice to discuss the loan of a monitor. Please note that these monitors are limited and have a strict loan duration in order for as many patients to have access to this service.
If your reading is above 179/110 mmHg you will be required to attend the practice in order to discuss a treatment plan with one of our clinical team.
Your health is at the forefront of this programme, and we strongly advise, should you receive the invite, that you participate. If you have any concerns or questions that you wish to discuss further then please contact the surgery.
In addition, we have a number of suggested articles that may help give you a better understanding of Hypertension and related conditions. The links for these are below:
British Heart Foundation - High Blood Pressure
Blood Pressure UK
1st August 2024
You’ll hear a lot in the coming days about GPs being on strike and various twists on this. We are not on strike but we are taking a stance about inadequate practice funding and unfunded work. We want to keep our surgery as your local surgery and family GPs.
Practices are closing and jobs are being lost nationally. This short video explains what is actually happening.
We get £107 per patient per year. 30pence a day, to provide your healthcare, whether you see us once in 10
years or see our healthcare team several times a week.
You will notice some changes in the coming months, but as the GP partners, we are doing this to protect our staff, but ultimately we are doing this to provide continued and SAFE patient care.
Please watch the link https://rb.gy/vkstht
May 2024
NHS Coventry, Warwickshire & Solihull Talking Therapies
If you are currently struggling with low mood, stress, depression or anxiety and are aged 16 or over, Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull Talking Therapies offers free and confidential support for your mental health. To find out more, please get in touch with us and speak to a GP. Alternatively, you can self-refer via telephone, or by visiting the Talking Therapies website here.
Telephone: 02476 671 090
Address: Melbourne Gardens, Windsor Street, Coventry, CV1 3BT
Website: www.talkingtherapies.covwarkpt.nhs.uk
Opening Hours:
Monday: 9-4:30pm
Tuesday: 9-4:30pm
Wednesday: 9-4:30pm
Thursday: 9-4:30pm
Friday: 9-4:30pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
Patient Participation Group meeting
The notes from the last patient participation meeting are now on the website . Please click on the patient group page to read them.
Thank you to all patients who attended for your input
Monday 25th March 2024
The practice will be closed on Friday 29th March - Good Friday
Monday 1st April - Easter Monday
The practice will be back open on Tuesday 2nd April 24 at 8.30 am
18th March 2024
The next practice patient participation PPG meeting will be held on Wednesday 20th March at 2pm. All welcome
7th February 2024
MMR vaccinations If you need to check your child’s status after receiving a text message from the NHS. Please check your child’s red book or submit a request via our website . Please do not ring the surgery
26th January 2024
Please see our practice newsletter for practice updates on staff changes, the prescription ordering line, online access to medical notes and lots more
3rd January 2024
NHS England are running a survey to understand the experience of adults living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes diagnosed at least 12 months ago. If you are invited, you will be sent a letter and text message reminders explaining how to take part.
The survey is voluntary and all answer are confidential.
30th October 2023
Dear All,
You may be aware NHS England have determined that all patients will have complete prospective access to their medical records As your GP practice, we have been asked to provide you with access to your full medical record via the NHS app (and NHS website) if you have a suitable NHS login, from 31 October 2023. This instruction also includes automatically provisioning prospective access for patients who turn 16 years of age.
We are advocates of patients having access to their medical records and encourage this, especially to view test results rather than ring the surgery. In fact 46% of our population have some form of online access, either to book appointments or order medication and are able to view elements of their medical records. So, whilst we support the principle of patient access, we are currently providing access in a manner that we determine to be safe. (i.e. with third-party data redacted), in order to minimise the risk of data breaches pertaining to other individuals, named in patient records
We also have significant concerns about the risks relating to safeguarding of vulnerable adults and children, and the risk of harm (up to and including loss of life, particularly femicide) that may result if/when patient data is revealed to third parties under coercion or threat. Under the current planned changes to the system, when a patient moves surgery, there is no guarantee that any redaction will transfer also, thus increasing risk. These concerns have been raised with NHS England and we have yet to receive a satisfactory response.
We are aware that not everyone will want access to their full record on the internet at this time, and some patients may have concerns about their personal medical records being made available on their smartphones or online, especially if other people have access to their devices.
We therefore regret to advise that, in light of the current lack of ability to enable mass online access to patient records safely, we are unable to comply with NHS England’s plan, for fear of the consequences to our most vulnerable patients.
The BMA have provided us with guidance around our responsibilities as Data controllers. We WILL continue to enable individual-level patient access upon request, when we are sure the notes concerned have been appropriately checked and safely redacted and that by providing access, you or others will come to no harm. We trust in your understanding and are happy to discuss this with any patients as needed. You can find further information about how to use the NHSApp and apply for online access to records on our online services page.
Patient Participation Group
The next meeting will take place on Wednesday 18th October 2023 at 2pm
September Flu Clinics
We are holding flu clinics on
Saturday 16th September 9am to 3pm
Saturday 23rd September 9am to 3pm
Saturday 30th September 9am to 12 noon
All patients eligible will receive a text message with a link to book or a letter if we do not hold a mobile number on record for you
August 23
Please see Springfield's latest New letter for updates on flu clinics for 2023, New staff and the upcoming Macmillian coffee morning
1st March 2023
Try the NHS App
If you’re a patient at our practice you can now use the new NHS App, a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet.
You can use the NHS App to get health advice, book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, view your GP health record and more.
If you already use an online service you can continue to use it. You can use the NHS App as well.
For more information go to www.nhs.uk/nhsapp.'
January 2023 - Learning Disabilities Annual Health Check
Springfield Medical Practice will carry out your learning disabilities health check with the help of our Health Care Assistant. These checks are offered yearly to all our patients aged 14 and above who have a learning disability. (Please note this is only available to patients registered at Springfield Medical Practice)
If you are aged 14 and above with a learning disability you are eligible to have this health check every year. So, if you are someone who has a learning disability or are a carer for someone with learning disabilities then please make sure that you access this annual health check.
We send out invites to carry out these checks to all our patients known to us and on our learning disability register, every year. If you have a learning disability and have not received an invite, then please call us on 024 76332628
If you are unsure whether you have a learning disability, or the person you care for has learning disabilities, then please book an appointment to discuss this further. This way your name can added to our learning disability register.
You will be asked to have a blood test prior to the appointment. It is best that it is done but if the patient is reluctant then it can be discussed on the day of appointment. You will also be asked to provide a urine sample on the day.
A typical appointment lasts 30 minutes and involves observations like height, weight & blood pressure. A detailed chat with GP/Health Care Assistant about your health, leading to examination and further investigations if needed. You will receive Health Action Plan at the end of the appointment
It is important that all patients with LD are on the register. This helps in accessing annual health checks and also provides them priority access to vaccinations as most of them fall in a vulnerable group. It also helps young people with EHCP and older adults access appropriate social care
30th June 2022
Primary Care Networks (PCN's )are groups of GP Practices working together to deliver Enhanced Services. These services are provided by the practices, over and above the core hours and GP contract.
From 1st October 2022, PCNs have been asked to undertake patient engagement, to ensure new services meet the needs of the local population.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey, following the link below.
14th June 2022
If you saw the Panorama TV programme last night you are probably as concerned as we were to see unsupported clinicians treating patients.
Springfield Medical Practice has been a training practice for many years. This means that we have junior doctors at the surgery and these can be doctors undertaking 4 month placement during their initial hospital rotation scheme, and GP trainees. They are all qualified doctors and work under the supervision of the regular GP's.
We ALWAYS have a supervising GP available on site to discuss patients and offer advise to our trainees during the clinic, but also after clinics.
We ALWAYS have a Duty GP available for urgent queries from our other team members and community teams. This includes Nursing team, Phlebotomists, Clinical Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Midwives, and District Nursing team to name but a few.
We have a Physician Associate, who is also under supervision of a GP.
Very occasionally staff have needed to work remotely when COVID restrictions have forced this. This is not ideal, but isolation rules still require clinical staff to isolate if positive.
None of our work is outsourced, this includes hospital documents, and there is no backlog of these.
We hope this reassures you and we continue to offer a high standard of care. And believe it or not, we still have appointments available to book as of 11.47am today (at the time of writing) for the afternoon for doctors, so don't believe all the hype of not being able to get an appointment!
Many Thanks
Springfield Team
November 2021
We have received reports from both Patient Access users and people who have never registered for the service, that they have received Covid passport emails purporting to be from Patient Access.
We would like to share the following guidance from Patient Access for your information, and for you to share with your patients where appropriate.
We advise users of Patient Access to check the name and email address of the sender, all emails from Patient Access will come via an email address that ends in @patientaccess.com. We advise users never to click on any log in links that you receive via email but to visit the site via the address bar of your browser instead so that you know you are on the genuine Patient Access log in page. You can find more information and guidance on our information security page here: https://www.patientaccess.com/security
We strongly advise users to set up their Memorable Word security feature, as well as using biometrics (fingerprint ID) if they use the app.
Email addresses used to register for Patient Access account are secure. We do not share any data and no data is ever saved or stored on any device you use to access Patient Access.
October 2021
Being a healthy weight is important for your long-term health but it is also great for your self-esteem, confidence and general wellbeing. There are many ways to achieve a healthy weight through diet and physical activity, and it’s important to find the right way for YOU.
We have a range of tools and programmes that may help you. Get in touch and we can talk you through all of the options available to you, or click on the link below.
https://hlscoventry.org/referral-form/
September 2021
You can now register online using the new patients tab at the top and following the link.
If you are already a patient and wish to update your details please use the online services tab at the top of the page and follow the - HELP US KEEP YOUR CLINICAL RECORD UPTO DATE link
** Face masks will continue to be required when attending one of our surgeries. **
We support anybody who wants to register an opt-out and will respect your wishes about your data, but please read the myth busters below before you decide. We want to make sure that you have accurate information to make the right choice for you.
If you do wish to opt out please complete a Type 1 Opt-out preference document below