Summer Newsletter 2025

 

This Newsletter is issued by the Forest Edge Medical Practice, located on Manford Way Chigwell Essex. IG7 4DF. The information is offered as best practice at time of writing.

 

Dear Patients, Welcome to the Summer 25 newsletter.

In this issue:

  1. Note from the Practice
  2. New Online & TV information
  3. Patient Participation Group
  4. Integrated Care Board
  5. Children’s health
  6. Key Medical Changes
  7. Hospital Info Update
  8. Prescription & Health changes.
  9. General Information
 

Note from the Practice

At the side of the reception desks a new machine has appeared. It records your weight and height. By placing your left hand through the waist height hole on its left side it will measure your pulse and blood pressure. It then gives the option of printing the results you can give to the doctor or nurse.

 

New online & TV information

We are still working on placing the TV information seen on the screen in the reception on to the Forest Edge web site. The agreed minutes of the patient ppt meetings are already up loaded on to the web site.

 

Patient Participation Group (PPG)

Our Patient Participation Group meetings are in full swing. This year we have had presentations on Autism, Physiotherapy, and from a Mental Health Therapist. With other guests lined up to inform us. Forest Edge is grouped together with the other local GP’s and as a group, The Fairlop GP Network it receives funding for additional services to be provided and shared between the GP practices.

This has been improving over the last 2 years. Now with the growth of the patients it is likely to be reorganised. How this will affect the money to pay for the additional services is under discussion.

patient-group-2
 

Integrated Care Board

The Integrated Care Board receives from the Government the funds to pay for our standard medical services. In addition to the services it is also sponsoring organisations to involve patients of specific problems such as cancer and heart patients. They gather information on how well they have been treated and if they received holistic care, did it improve the outcome. A long running example of this is those who have type 2 diabetes are offered a course of a few hours each month on how to deal and reduce the effects of diabetes.

 
doctor-and-child

Children’s health

There are several projects across the country following cases of maternity issues and some are starting to appear in the news papers. This is where mothers have had birthing difficulties and in some cases lost their child.

Some of these events are being notified to trained advocates who support the mothers so the relevant units can understand what actually happened in order to improve maternity care.

 

Key Medical Changes

When having your standard blood tests for cholesterol it is no longer a necessity to fast before the blood sample is taken. The medical staff requesting the tests will advise when fasting is required for a particular blood test.

 

Hospital Info Update

The Barking Havering Redbridge University Trust has been reducing surgery waiting lists in a new way. They select weeks where they carry out high intensity periods of operations. These bursts are very effective in carrying out more than the average number of operations and an effective way to reduce waiting lists. The number of people waiting 18 months for surgery in our area is now zero. These intensive sessions are focussed on 6 specialities:- General Surgery, Ear Nose & Throat trauma, O r t h o p a e d i c s , O p h t h a l m o l o g y , Neurology, & Gynaecology. Statistics showed 3 out of 5 emergency cases were for people on waiting lists. This has freed beds for planned care instead of A & E use. The Trust has received funding of £14million to expand the surgical hubs including 2 new operating theatres. This should further reduce the waiting lists.

 

Prescription & Health changes

NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) has found that the pilot project for children with type 1 diabetes using a new Hybrid Closed Loop system has been very successful. The insulin pump required to maintain the correct level of insulin automatically administered to the child is controlled by a phone app.

The food being eaten is typed into the app which tells the pump the correct amount of insulin to add. This has smoothed out the highs and lows of sugar in the child's system enabling a better quality of life. Nice has also recommended a new medication Sparsentan. A daily pill that can slow kidney damage.

diabetes
 

General info

The general advice for Out of Hours assistance is:

  1. For life threatening situations dial 999
  2. Fractures and serious cuts. Go to A & E
  3. Discomforting conditions use a “Walk in Centre” or Urgent Care Centres at King George or Queens.
  4. For rapidly deteriorating ailments or GP advice call the surgery or NHS on 111.
  5. If you need an urgent appointment in the evening call 111 or 0203 770 1888 and ask for an appointment.
  • To cancel; call appointment number with name & time or via the NHS app.
  • Forest Edge Surgery & APPOINTMENTS 020 8500 9938 Use the number to contact the surgery.
  • The NHS 111 phone number is available 24 hours a day and should be the first point of contact if the surgery is closed.

Published: Sep 1, 2025