22nd February Janice Butcher decided to leave the Practice at the end of March. She has performed her duties as Senior Reception Manager with great competance but after 22 years thought it was time for a change and has been appointed to a new post very near her home already. She will be sorely missed by Doctors and staff alike and not least by the Practice Manager Len Bates who has relied on her for the management of the staff. Dr Rees in particular will also miss her competance and organisational skills without which he would not have functioned for so long. She will also be fondly remembered by the young Registrars who have passed through the Practice and who she has nurtured as they groped with their introduction to General Practice.
20th January 2010 Dr Rees announced at the Partners meeting that he intended to retire completely from the Practice at the end of June. This would be 3 months into his 39th year with the Practice and being 65 he felt it was time to go.
19th July 2009
Penny's Hill Practice entered a team in the Pier to Pier swim for the British Heart Foundation. The conditions were wild with a Force 5-6 wind with and a slight tide against producing fearsome waves. All the team of 13 fought through the shore break and completed the swim. If asked, please donate generously.
June 2009
Much has been said in the news about 'swine flu.' The pandemic has so far been of low incidence and very mild. However, there is a possibility that the events of 1918 could be repeated and the H1N1 virus mutates in a human carrier and hits the world in mid October as solar radiation falls in the Northern hemisphere. Suffice it to say that if a protective vaccine appears during the summer, Pennys Hill Practice will vaccinate all appropriate patients as soon as it is available.
May 2009
For the 5th year running the Pennys Hill Practice achieved maximum QOF (Quality Outcome Framework) points. Less than 50 Practices in the country have been able to do so. Many Practices lost points on the new Patient Survey which concerns access. Again, your Practice got maximum points. Well done all those who contributed.
2nd March 2009
It is with great sadness we report the death of Jan Curtis. Jan was a receptionist in the Practice for many years. In the 70's she, with Di Elgar and Miss MacDonald doing finance, ran the whole Practice with barely fewer patients than we have today. She was a character of the old school having started as a legal typist in the days before word processors, and Tippex of course being banned, where one mistake meant re-typing a whole document. Her vibrant character will be missed. She died peacefully at Fordingbridge.
Inauguration of President Obama
In a rousing speech the new President paraphrased president Kennedy when he said "ask not what your Doctor can do for you but what you can do for your Doctor."
November '08
On 19th November a further 715 patients had a 'flu vaccine. With home visits more than 2500 patients have had a 'flu vaccine this year.
Many thanks to the Friends of the Practice for their kind donation of a Vaccination Refrigerator. With the increase in number of vaccines we give a new fridge was critical as one of the old ones was failing with the threat of losing vaccines.
October '08
22/ The first flu' clinic of the autumn and 1509 patients immunised.
August '08
8/08/08; Janice Butcher, reception manager and receptionist to Dr Rees has completed 20 years in the Practice on this prestigious date! Thank you Janice for all your hard work and well done.
Extended hours - starting August 2008. See - Appointments for further details.
Dr Kate Haslam - Passed her Diploma of Practical Dermatology with Distinction! Well done Kate.
June '08
22/06 The Race for life - Penny's Hill Practice entered a team of 18 (eighteen) and raised £900. Well done to all who did their bit.
16/06 Our new Practice Manager, Len Bates started his job today. He is the 5th PM we have had and the first male incumbent. One of his first jobs will be to replace,(if it were possible) Jessica Pelling, our IT expert who is moving to a new job as PA to a Matron at Poole Hospital. Best of luck to both.
May '08
05/05 Dr Karamat Khan has passed his CSA (Case sensitive assessment) and is now 2/3rds to passing the nMRCGP. Well done.
April '08
21/04 Dr Karamat Khan, Registrar in the Practice will take the practical part of the new MRCGP examination. He will see 13 patients (trained actors) at 10 minute intervals with 2 minutes in between, continuously. He will be the first Dr in the Practice to do this examination. Good luck.
To the general dismay of the Practice and patients the Practice Manager, Maria Kay, announced that she was moving to Redhill, Surrey because of her husband's job. Advertisments have been published for a new PM.
For the 4th year runningPenny's Hill Practice obtained maximum Quality Outcome Framework (QOF) points. We are now one of less than 50 Practices in the counrty to do this. Each year it becomes harder and the financial rewards less. Well done everyone.
February '08
27/02 At a shocked Practice meeting Dr Green revealed that he had shaved off his moustache! This was for the first time in history. It had been established that Dr Green was not born with a moustache but it appeared at a very early age and has never been removed. It is believed that the fair sex had something to do with it. At a stroke it renders ALL photographs of Dr Green obsolete. Indeed you may well have seen him and not recognised him. Special "Dr Green recognician packs" have been issued to the staff.
November '07
Dr Strauss made Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners. To have 2 Fellows in the same Practice is a great honour and achievement.
(To put it in perspective, when you become a surgeon you become a Fellow of the RC of Sugeons; when you become a Physician Fellowship usually follows within a few years; being a Fellow of the RC of General Practitioners is slightly commoner than hen's teeth!) Dr Rees was made a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners at a ceremony in London followed by a reception at the Royal College HQ at Princes Gate. The new President of the Royal College is Prefessor Davis Haslam who is the father of Kate Haslam who is now working in the Pennys Hill Practice.
2006
FLU CLINIC 2006 - The first Flu clinic of 2006 was on Tuesday 17th October. On that day we immunised 1731, yes 1731 patients. This was a record for us and probably the UK!
The next clinic will be Thursday 16th November and there will be other arrangements where appropriate.
Sister Gawler retires - Sister Jenny who joined the Practice when it first moved to the current building in December 1974 will retire in 2007.
A leaving celebration will occur at the Royal British Legion Church Road on Saturday 28th April 2007 when it is hoped that all her friends and colleagues will join her.
QOF - The Practice will be inspected for the Quality Outcomes Framework on Thursday morning 25th January. We obtained maximum points for the first 2 years and were one of the very few to do so. This year the challenge will be even greater.