Widcombe Surgery

25/10/2025

🕰️ Don’t Forget: Clocks Go Back Tonight! 🕰️
As we set our clocks back one hour, the evenings are getting darker and the daylight fewer.

If you’re noticing low mood, low energy, or changes in your sleep and appetite, you might be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) — a type of depression linked to the shorter, darker days. 

Here are a few ways to support your mental health this autumn/winter:
🌤️ Try to get outside in daylight when you can.
💡 Make your home space as bright and airy as possible.
🏃 Stay active – even a short walk can help lift your mood.
🗣️ If it’s getting hard to cope, talk to someone you trust — we’re here to help.

For further guidance, you can visit the NHS page: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/overview/ 

24/10/2025

⏰ If you can’t make your appointment, please let us know

We understand that plans can change — but when appointments are missed without being cancelled, it means someone else who needs care may have to wait longer. By letting us know in advance, even at short notice, we can offer your slot to another patient who needs our help.

To cancel, just give us a call on 01225 310883 or cancel online through your NHS App or SystmOnline account.

Thank you for helping us keep appointments available for those who need them most 💙

17/10/2025

🌟 A Huge Congratulations to Our Amazing Nursing Team! 🌟

We’re incredibly proud of Maisy, our brilliant Nurse Associate, who has won the “Outstanding Nurse Associate in a Primary Care Setting” award at the South West Community and Primary Care Nursing Awards 2025! 🎉
These awards celebrate nurses and healthcare professionals who go above and beyond to deliver exceptional care across the South West — and Maisy truly does just that every day. 💙

A big well done also to Chloe, our talented Phlebotomist, who has now passed her Health Care Assistant qualification! 🩺
This means Chloe can now support patients with an even wider range of care — including health checks, ECGs and wound care.

We’re really proud of both Maisy and Chloe, and of our entire nursing team for the outstanding care and compassion they show our patients every single day. 💐

11/10/2025

07/10/2025

One week into Stop Smoking Month — well done! Your sense of taste and smell are improving, and you’ve protected your heart and lungs for 7 full days. Keep building on this success.

Stoptober is the perfect time to quit smoking. Free local support is available to help you succeed. Contact eh.banes@nhs.net / 03002470050 or visit www.nhs.uk/stoptober today

04/10/2025

💉 Over 1,000 patients vaccinated today! 💪

A huge thank you to all of our amazing staff and volunteer marshals for their incredible effort today — we vaccinated over 1,000 patients with their flu and COVID boosters! 👏👏

Everything ran really smoothly thanks to fantastic teamwork and our patients arriving on time. You helped make the clinic run like clockwork! 🕒

If you were unable to attend today, please contact the surgery next week and we’ll be happy to rebook you for another clinic.

Thank you again from all of us at at Widcombe Surgery 💙

03/10/2025

It’s Day 3 of Stop Smoking Month — your body is already starting to heal. Ni****ne is leaving your system, and your breathing is beginning to feel easier. You’re proving that change is possible.

Stoptober is the perfect time to quit smoking. Free local support is available to help you succeed. Contact eh.banes@nhs.net / 03002470050 or visit www.nhs.uk/stoptober today.

02/10/2025

Thank you to everyone who completed our Friends & Family survey in September 🙏. We’re really pleased that 92% of patients rated their experience Good or Very Good.

Here are a couple of lovely comments we received:

💬 “The new triage system is so much better than waiting for the phone to be answered. I filled the online form in early in the morning and got a call back from one of the very helpful receptionists within the hour. I saw a GP a couple of hours later. Great service all round!”

💬 “Booking system good, wait for appointment not long, all ran punctually and good medical advice leading to immediate actioning of prescription. All very smooth and helpful. Thank you.”

We also noticed a few comments about not being seen if arriving late. We always try to accommodate, but with back-to-back appointments it’s not always possible to give safe care without delaying others. Please do arrive on time to help us keep clinics running smoothly.

Some people also asked for a call back – just to note, Friends & Family feedback is anonymous, so if you’d like to discuss something in more detail, please use the Contact Us form on our website

👉 https://widcombesurgery.nhs.uk/contact

💙 Thank you again for all your feedback – it really helps us keep improving.

01/10/2025

Stoptober is here! Quit smoking with free local support. Contact eh.banes@nhs.net / 03002470050 or visit www.nhs.uk/stoptober for help.”

30/09/2025

📢 Flu & COVID Vaccination Clinics – This Saturday 📢

We’ll be running our vaccination clinics this Saturday at the Surgery.

✅ These are for pre-booked appointments only – please do not attend without an appointment.

✅ Entrance will be through the rear of the building, which can be accessed under the archway at the front of the surgery.

🚪 Please only use the front door if you have mobility or access issues.

👕 To help keep things running smoothly, we kindly ask patients to wear loose-fitting clothing so we can easily access your upper arm for vaccination.

Thank you for your cooperation and helping us keep the clinic efficient for everyone! 💉

25/09/2025

Our systems are now back on line. Our online forms will remain off for a couple of hours whilst we deal with the backlog. Thank you for your patience!