Page 31 - October 24

Hampton Surgery News

The new editor has asked for a monthly contribu�on
from the Surgery and we are grateful for the chance
to provide the latest news on what is a vital Village
service.

It seems logical that I should provide the first
bulle�n having been at the Surgery the longest, it
now being my 30th year since appointment in 1995.
Please let me start with the most important piece of informa�on and that is October is the
�me when vaccina�ons against flu and Covid become available. I cannot emphasise
enough the old adage that ‘preven�on is be�er than cure’ and if you are offered one of
these vaccines or both, please avail yourself of the opportunity, which I will be doing.

It is a �me of change and I am so pleased that the senior leadership at the Surgery is now
under the very safe guidance of Sister Kirsty Millard and Dr Yasin Al-Shammary. Dr Ryan
Prince and myself have both re�red from that role, although I con�nue as an assistant. It
is both a very responsible posi�on and one of considerable challenge as we con�nue to
survive as one of the smallest GP surgeries in England and not being subsumed into a
larger federa�on.
This is important as it ensures that there is con�nuity of care and personal care from a
small number of prac��oners rather than being part of a very large organisa�on where
you are unlikely to see the same prac��oner twice. The ethos of healthcare is to move to
larger organisa�ons and we have been lucky enough through good leadership to avoid that
and con�nue to remain a village prac�ce and need as much support in that role as we can
receive.
The other amazing thing about our
Surgery is that we are both a teaching
prac�ce of medical students and a
training prac�ce of postgraduate doctors
wan�ng to undertake a career in general
prac�ce at a �me when there is a
shortage of GPs.

When I came in 1995 there were two part-�me recep�onists, a part-�me prac�ce nurse
and myself. Now we have a huge team of prac��oners working with a common purpose to
help you with your illness and navigate the complexi�es of an NHS under considerable
pressure.
Future bulle�ns will no doubt tell about individual team members and there is no space
here to do that in this edi�on, except to say that they are an amazing team and a real
privilege to work with. Each of them are vital in the roles that they play and I am proud s�ll
to be part of such a caring, competent and compassionate group.
Dr Rodger Charlton

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