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TARGET is a scheme that brings our city’s Primary Care workforce together to learn new skills, hear about new treatments and share good practice. It means that surgery will need to close to facilitate this training but we will ensure that medical care will be available when you need it. The surgery will therefore be closed on the following afternoons but the Out of Hours service (which can be accessed bye calling 111) will cover: 

Thursday 26th September 2024

Please rest assured that we will provide more information on our website, recorded messages on telephone and our public noticeboard to keep you infomred about these dates. On TARGET days lease contact us and listening to pre-recorded messages for advice.

We fully appreciate heightened anxiety about Group A Streptococcal Infections spreading in the communicate. We use guidance on the Healthier Together website (App) and Antibiotic Prescribing Guidelines to make decision about treatment – this is based on the FeverPAIN score:

1. Fever in the past 24 hours (1)
2. Absence of cough or Mucus from nose like cold (1)
3. Symptom onset over less than 3 days (1)
4. Exudates on tonsils (1)
5. Severe inflammation of tonsils (1)

We base decision about antibiotic treatment on FeverPAIN score (1 point for each of fever, purulence, attend within 3 days of onset or less, severely Inflamed tonsils, no cough or coryza) and consider prescribing antibiotics if score is 3 or more – using guidance as follows:

• Score 0-1: 13-18% likelihood of isolating streptococcus: use NO antibiotics

• Score 2-3:34-40% likelihood of isolating streptococcus, use back up/delayed antibiotic OR NO antibiotic
• Score 4 or more:62-65% likelihood of isolating streptococcus, use immediate antibiotic OR back-up antibiotic

Swallowing tablets for children: As we try to ensure children receive the optimum doses of antibiotics, it is of significant benefit if parents or carers can persuade children to swallow tablets. Follow this advice, or send this link direct to parents or carers to help children swallow tablets:

https://what0-18.nhs.uk/parentscarers/worried-your-child-unwell/teaching-your-child-swallow-tablets

During our consultation with patients and parents, we try our best to be able to support parents of children with presumed respiratory viral infection and make them aware of features suggestive of Strep A infection, such as clinical deterioration, and when and how to seek further help. You can do so yourself by following safety netting advice found on the link below.

Link to Wessex Healthier Together Safety Netting page:

https://what0-18.nhs.uk/professionals/gp-primary-care-staff/safety-netting-documents-parents

Signs and symptoms of monkeypox?

In the first 5 days of manifestation of the infection, patients experience 'flu-like symptoms including:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Back pain
• Malaise (lack of energy)
• Swelling of lymph glands in the areas of neck, armpits and groin

Note: The presence of lymph glands is the key symptom which differentiates monkeypox from chickenpox.

• It can take up to 12 days for these 'flu-like symptoms of monkeypox to develop from the initial exposure to the virus. These symptoms usually last 14 to 21 days.
• After this period, a rash, similar to that seen in chickenpox, develops; predominantly on the face, but possibly also occurring on the palms and soles. The rash appears as as spots with a flat base 2–5 mm in diameter, which change to vesicles (small fluid-filled blisters) and then crust over. The rash usually lasts approximately 10 days or more.

What is the treatment for monkeypox?

There are no specific treatments or vaccinations currently available for monkeypox. As with chickenpox, children are more likely to suffer from monkeypox than adults; most fully recover after 21 days without scarring of the skin.

• People with possible, probable or confirmed monkeypox should avoid contact with other people until their lesions have healed and the scabs have dried off.
• Cases can reduce the risk of transmission by following standard cleaning and disinfection methods and washing their own clothing and bed linen with standard detergents in a washing machine.
• Cases should also abstain from sex while symptomatic, including the period of early symptom onset, and while lesions are present. Whilst there is currently no available evidence of monkeypox in genital excretions, as a precaution, please use condoms for 8 weeks after infection and this guidance will be updated as evidence emerges.
• If people with possible, probable or confirmed monkeypox infection need to travel to seek healthcare, they should ensure any lesions are covered by cloth and wear a face covering and avoid public transport where possible.
• Contacts of someone with monkeypox will also need to be risk assessed and told to isolate for 21 days if necessary.

Should you have symptoms of Monkeypox please contact 111 for further advice.