Walnut Tree Health Centre
Blackberry Court
Walnut Tree
Milton Keynes, MK7 7PB
Tel: 01908 691123

This practice will close from 12pm-5pm on Thursday 23 February 2012 for Protected Time Staff Training. If you need URGENT medical attention during this time, please call MKUrgent Care Services on 01908 201022 or Broughton Gate WIC in 01908 874444. For medical advice please call NHSDirect on 0845 46 47.

Useful link for those needing advice or help from Age Concern: www.ageuk.org.uk/miltonkeynes

As a member of the public you have a right to be involved in decisions about health and social care services in Milton Keynes. By sharing experiences and ideas with your Local Involvement Network in (LINk:MK) you can influence the way services are run.
The job of LINk:MK is to find out what people like and dislike about services. They then feed this information back to health and social care providers, helping them to plan and deliver better services that reflect the wishes of local people. If you would like any further information please use the link: www.miltonkeyneslink.co.uk

As from 1^st October 2011, we are changing our DNA (did not attend) policy. Patients who fail to cancel appointments 2 times in any one year will be sent a warning letter that they will be removed from the practice list should they fail to attend again.

Health Charities

01 Dec - 28 Feb
Marie Curie

Marie Curie Cancer Care is a UK charity dedicated to the care of people with terminal cancer and other illnesses. Over the financial year 2010/11, we reached a total of 31,799 patients

01 Dec - 28 Feb
YouthHealthTalk

Youthhealthtalk enables young people, their family and friends, and professionals such as doctors and teachers to understand young people's experiences of health, illness and life in general. The website feature real-life accounts of issues such as effect on work and education, social life and relationships, consulting health professionals and treatment.

03 Sep - 28 Feb
Macmillan Cancer Support

One in three of us will get cancer and it’s the toughest thing most of us will ever face. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, or a loved one has, you’ll want a team of people in your corner supporting you every step of the way. Macmillan provide practical, medical and financial support and push for better cancer care.

BBC Health

'A little too much drink' warning

Drinking "just a little more than they should" puts people at risk of serious illness including heart disease, stroke and cancer, the government is warning.

Health bodies reject NHS reforms

Physiotherapist leaders have joined the Royal College of GPs in calling for the health bill in England to be scrapped, increasing pressure on the government.

Malaria toll 'is twice as high'

The number of deaths worldwide from malaria has been underestimated, according to data published in the medical journal the Lancet.

Weekend hospital admission fears

Research which suggests that patients are more likely to die in hospital if they are admitted at the weekend is backed up by a major study.

Poison arrest nurse loses appeal

A nurse arrested and later freed over the poisoning deaths of patients at Stepping Hill Hospital loses an appeal against her sacking.

Brains may be wired for addiction

Abnormalities in the brain may make some people more likely to become drug addicts, according to scientists.

PFI hospitals 'get bailout fund'

Seven English NHS hospital trusts with debts caused, in part, by PFI repayments are to have access to a £1.5bn government bailout fund.

Record 'legal highs detected'

A record number of potentially dangerous new legal highs were found in Europe last year, say doctors.

Legionella Britons die in Spain

Three British men die and three more people remain in hospital after contracting Legionnaires' disease while on holiday in Spain, a tour company says.

Watermelon 'is salmonella source'

A salmonella outbreak linked to watermelon has affected 35 people, killing one, in the UK since December, health experts have revealed.

Health Protection Agency

Current alert level: Level 3 - Cold Weather Action in one or more regions of England

There is a 100% probability of severe cold weather between 1000 on Monday and 1000 on Friday in parts of England.

Health Protection Agency confirms new incinerator study

A new study to further extend the evidence base as to whether emissions from modern well run Municipal Waste Incinerators affect human health has been approved by the Health Protection Agency.

HPA helps solve radon problems in West Oxfordshire homes

Hundreds of homes across West Oxfordshire have been found to have high levels of radioactive gas radon. Last summer, the Health Protection Agency invited about 9,000 householders across West Oxfordshire to apply for a free test for radon, a naturally occurring gas present in all homes.

HPA helps solve radon problems in Orkney homes

Hundreds of householders across Orkney are being advised to act to protect their health, after HPA tests detected high levels of radioactive gas radon.

Cornish radon hotspot targeted

Thousands of households in a part of Cornwall with historic radon problems are being offered a free test for levels of the radioactive gas radon.

New Guidelines to Control Group A Streptococcal (GAS) Infections in UK Hospitals Launched

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) together with the group A streptococcal (GAS) Working Group* has today launched new guidelines for the investigation, control and prevention of GAS infection in acute healthcare settings, including maternity units, in the UK.

Whooping cough cases increase

Cases of whooping cough (pertussis) reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in England and Wales have more than doubled from 421 cases in 2010 to 1040 in 2011. Increases in levels of whooping cough are seen every three to four years and figures in 2011 are in line with cases reported in the last peak year of 2008.

HPA publishes second migrant health report

The Health Protection Agency’s (HPA) second report on Migrant Health, and the first UK-wide report is published today.

Levels of norovirus within seasonal norms

Norovirus is highly contagious and can be transmitted by contact with an infected person; by consuming contaminated food or water or by contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. The virus spreads rapidly in closed environments such as hospitals, schools, nursing and residential homes.

HPA warns winter sun seekers to seek protection from malaria

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is reminding UK travellers visiting friends and family or taking winter sun holidays to ensure they take anti-malaria tablets when visiting countries where malaria is prevalent.

Welcome to Walnut Tree Health Centre Online

baby1 Here we present all our patients with up to date news and information about our practice. We will keep it current with any developments or other details that we feel are relevant to you.

New patients joining our practice will be offered a consultation for a health check with a health care assistant or one of the practice nurses.

For general medical advice NHS Direct is available 24 hours a day and is contactable by calling 0845 4647.

Please have a look around and do send us some feedback if you like. We can use your ideas to improve our online services and further develop the content of this site.

Missed Appointments

The number of appointments not attended for the week commencing 23 January 2012 was 29. This equates to 4.8 hours of lost clinical time.
If you are unable to attend an appointment please contact Reception to let us know even if the appointment is the same day as we always have patients requiring urgent appointments on the day.

Appointment Reminders

We are now able to offer a text messaging appointment reminder service to our patients. Please ensure that we have an up to date mobile number if you would like to take advantage of this service.

Accessibility

Having trouble reading the information on this website? Need a bigger font size?

Please click on the accessibility tab on the very bottom of this page which will give you the necessary information on how to achieve the perfect letter size for your requirements.

Internet Services

It is now possible to order your repeat prescription and book/cancel appointments over the internet using the links below. If you wish to use this service, you must bring in proof of ID (photographic or a birth certificate) to reception to register and collect a user guide. Please ring or call into reception for further details.

Alternatively, we offer a more basic repeat prescription service by clicking on the Repeat Prescriptions option at the bottom of this page.

WHO issues Europe measles warning

European countries need to act now to tackle measles outbreaks, The World Health Organization warns.

The WHO report says there were 26,000 measles cases in 36 European countries from January - October 2011. In England and Wales there were just under 1,000 cases compared with just 374 in the whole of 2010. In France, there were 14,000 cases reported.

France has now launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness about the need for MMR vaccination. Ninety per cent of European cases were amongst adolescents and adults who had not been vaccinated or people where it was not known if they had been vaccinated or not.

A spokeswoman for the Health Protection Agency, which covers England and Wales, said: 'Anyone who missed out on MMR as a child will continue to be at risk of measles, which explains why we are continuing to see cases in a broad age range. We are again reminding parents and young adults of the importance of immunisation. We cannot stress enough that measles is serious and in some cases it can be fatal. Measles is a highly infectious and potentially dangerous illness which spreads very easily. Whether you stay here in the UK or travel abroad, it is crucial that individuals who may be at risk are fully immunised.'

For further updates please visit:

www.bbc.co.uk/health

Change of Appointment Times

Please be aware that from January 2012 we will be providing Practice Nurse appointments on Monday evenings as well as GP appointments as part of our Extended Hours Service from 6.30pm

From January 2012 our Wednesday evening GP appointments will cease and the Practice will close at 6.30pm.

EMIS Access Online Services Links

Click here to order your repeat prescription online

Click here to book/cancel your appointment online

Further Information

For quick medical advice online or on the telephone contact NHS Direct

NHS 111 is a new service being introduced to make it easier for you to access local NHS healthcare services