Riverside Surgery

27/01/2026

💜 Let’s Talk Vaginal & Gynaecological Cancers 💜

Gynaecological cancers include cancers of the womb (uterus), cervix, ovaries, va**na and v***a. They can affect women of all ages — and knowing the symptoms can genuinely save lives.

Most symptoms are not caused by cancer, but they should always be checked.

🚩 Symptoms to look out for:
• Unusual va**nal bleeding (after menopause, after s*x, or between periods)
• Persistent pelvic or lower tummy pain
• Bloating that doesn’t go away
• Pain during s*x
• Changes in va**nal discharge
• Itching, lumps, or sores around the v***a
• Needing to wee more often without infection

If something feels different, unusual, or persistent for more than 2–3 weeks, please don’t ignore it.

✔️ Cervical screening (smear tests) saves lives.
✔️ HPV vaccination helps prevent cervical cancer.
✔️ Early diagnosis greatly improves outcomes.

We understand these symptoms can feel embarrassing to talk about — but to us, this is healthcare. Nothing is awkward, and everything is confidential.

If you’re worried, book an appointment and let’s check things properly. 💙

22/01/2026

RSV Vaccination – Protecting Your Health This Winter 💙

If you are aged 75 and over, the RSV vaccine is an important way to protect your health.

🦠 What is RSV?
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common virus that can cause serious chest infections, pneumonia, and hospital admission in older adults.

✅ Why the vaccine matters:
• Reduces the risk of severe illness
• Helps prevent hospital admission
• Protects your independence and wellbeing
• Reduces pressure on NHS services during winter

👵👴 As we get older, our immune systems are less able to fight infections, making RSV more dangerous. Vaccination provides vital protection when you need it most.

📞 Eligible patients aged 75+ are strongly encouraged to take up the RSV vaccine when invited. It is safe, effective, and could make a real difference to your health.

💬 If you have any questions or are unsure whether you are eligible, please contact the surgery and our team will be happy to help.

One simple vaccine. Powerful protection.

14/01/2026

Weight loss injections & the contraceptive pill – important info 💉💊

If you’re using weight loss injections, please be aware 👇
• Common side effects include nausea 🤢, vomiting 🤮 and diarrhoea 🚽
• Vomiting or diarrhoea can stop the contraceptive pill being absorbed properly, making it less effective ⚠️

Important update about Mounjaro (tirzepatide):
🔍 Recent research shows Mounjaro can reduce how well the oral contraceptive pill works
⏰ This is especially important for the first 4 weeks after starting and 4 weeks after each dose increase

👉 If you take the pill and are using Mounjaro:
• Use condoms as well during these times 🛡️
• Or consider a non-oral contraceptive method (implant, coil, injection)

If you’re unsure what applies to you, please speak to us at the surgery or the s*xual health service 💬
🩵🩷

13/01/2026

10/01/2026

🎄✨ December at the Surgery – It Wasn’t Just Santa Working Hard! ✨🎄

December was an incredibly busy month for our team – while Santa was delivering presents, our staff were delivering care every single day. 🎅🏽💙

We supported our patients through:
📞 A very high volume of calls
🩺 Hundreds of appointments and clinical reviews
💉 Seasonal vaccinations and urgent care
📋 Prescriptions, results, and ongoing support behind the scenes

Our team worked tirelessly to make sure patients received safe, timely, and compassionate care throughout the festive period.

We hope all of our patients had a restful Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year 🎄✨
Thank you, as always, for your patience, understanding, and continued support. 💙

Here’s to moving into the new year together 💫

06/01/2026

🩷January is Cervical Screening Awareness Month 🩷

Cervical screening is a quick and important test that helps prevent cervical cancer by detecting early changes before they become a problem. It can quite literally save lives. 🌸

📌 Who is eligible?
If you are aged 25–64 and registered with the surgery, you should be invited for regular cervical screening. Even if you feel well and have no symptoms, attending when invited is really important.

⏱️ The test is quick
🩺 Performed by trained clinicians
💖 Helps protect your future health

If you’ve received an invitation and haven’t yet booked, or think you may be overdue, please contact the surgery today to arrange your appointment.

📞 Our team are happy to help and can answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Your health matters — don’t delay, book your smear test today 🩷

Click the link for further information:

https://bit.ly/4qFucQM

05/01/2026

❄️ Weather Update – Today’s Appointments ❄️

Due to the current snowy conditions, some of our nursing staff are experiencing difficulties travelling safely into the surgery today.

As a result, there may be some disruption to nursing appointments. If you have an appointment today and would like to check whether it is still going ahead, please contact the surgery before attending.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to thank our patients for their patience and understanding during these challenging weather conditions.

Please take care if you are travelling 💙

31/12/2025

🎉THANK YOU 🎉

As the year draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what has been a very busy and fast-paced year here at the Riverside Surgery 💙

Our teams have gone above and beyond, providing care and support through a huge number of appointments, always with our patients’ wellbeing at the heart of everything they do.

We are incredibly grateful to both our clinical and non-clinical staff — their dedication, compassion, and commitment make a real difference every single day, and we couldn’t do this work without them.

To our patients, thank you sincerely for your continued support, patience, and understanding, especially during our busiest times. It is a privilege to care for our community, and we look forward to continuing to support you in the year ahead 💙

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year 🥳✨🎉

29/12/2025

📣 Riverside Surgery Update

We are currently short-staffed in both our clinical and administrative teams. This means our response times may be slower than usual, and we have very limited appointments this week. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding.

If your concern can be safely managed elsewhere, please consider using other available services, such as:
💊 Your local pharmacy
🌡️ Common Ailments Scheme (free advice & treatment for many conditions)
🏥 Self-care options where appropriate

These services can help you get quicker support while easing the pressure on our reduced team.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for bearing with us during this challenging time. 💙

Team Riverside

20/12/2025

Your GP may be extra busy at this time of year, so why not ask your pharmacist?

Pharmacists are experts in medicines who can also help with minor health concerns.

As qualified healthcare professionals, they can dispense prescribed medication, offer free clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for a range of common ailments, such as coughs, colds, skin rashes, bites and aches and pains.

Pharmacies throughout Wales provide a Common Ailments Service. This offers patients a free NHS consultation and free medication for many common ailments that cannot be managed by self-care alone, providing an alternative to an appointment with the GP or an out-of-hours doctor.

These include an A-Z of common ailments, from Athlete’s Foot and acute backache to urinary tract infections and verruca.

Pharmacists have the right training to make sure you get the help you need. So, if your symptoms suggest you need to see another healthcare professional (e.g. a GP, nurse, optometrist or dentist), then your pharmacist will point you in the best direction.

Most pharmacies also provide a range of other services, such as seasonal vaccinations, emergency contraception, emergency medicines supply, health checks and over the counter medication.

Additionally, Pharmacist Independent Prescribing Services are available in our area, where suitably qualified and competent pharmacist independent prescribers can prescribe for a range of minor illnesses not covered by the common ailment service, plus for routine contraception.

You can search NHS 111 Wales’ directory (111.wales.nhs.uk/LocalServices) to find your nearest pharmacy and filter your search results by selecting the service you require, e.g. ‘Provides Emergency Contraception’. Alternatively, contact your local pharmacy to find out more about the services it provides.

You do not need an appointment to go to a pharmacy and many are open until late with pharmacy services being accessible from a range of superstores, frequently operating outside the usual high street pharmacy opening hours.

16/12/2025

Always time to get your flu vaccine 💉 🦠

15/12/2025

🎄 Christmas & New Year Pharmacy Opening Times 🎄

As we head into the festive period, we’d like to remind everyone to please check the opening times of your local community pharmacies over Christmas and New Year, as hours may vary on bank holidays.

💊 Important reminder about prescriptions
Please ensure you order and collect your repeat prescriptions in good time before the holidays. This is especially important if you take regular medication, as GP surgeries and pharmacies will have reduced opening on certain days, and last-minute requests may not be possible to process.

Community pharmacists remain an excellent source of advice for minor illnesses and can support you over the festive period when GP services are limited.

Thank you for your support and planning ahead — it really helps keep services running smoothly for everyone.

🎅 From all of us at Riverside Surgery, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 🎄✨