Darlaston Health Care - News

Easter Holiday Closure

The Surgery will be closed for Bank Holiday on Friday 3rd April 2026 and Monday 6th April 2026. We will re-open on Tuesday 7th April 2026 at 8.00am. If you require any urgent medical assistance, please call 111 or in an emergency dial 999

Primary Care Network (PCN)

Walsall West One Primary Care Network (PCN) Walsall West One PCN is a collaboration of 5 GP surgeries that work together to provide effective and integrated primary care services to the population of West Walsall, particularly those with complex or long-term health conditions. A primary care network is a group of GP practices that work closely together with other health, social care and voluntary organisations to improve patient services. These can include community services, mental health teams, adult social care services and pharmacies. The PCN supports patients using a more personalised approach, listening to the patient’s concerns and asking what matters to them. Walsall West One PCN consists of the following practices: · Kingfisher Darlaston Practice · New Invention Health Centre · Darlaston Family Practice · Darlaston Health Care · Stroud Practice PCN Services Extended Access Evenings & Weekends) As a PCN, we also offer additional routine appointments, known as Extended Access (EA) appointments with the GP and other healthcare professionals that are outside normal working hours. These appointments are pre-bookable and can be offered as a telephone or face to face appointment. Once booked, you will be informed of the location of your appointment by the reception staff members. Operating Hours · Weekdays: 6:30pm – 8/8:30pm · Saturdays: 9am- 5pm Booking Appointments can be booked via your GP practice reception. Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) To maximise the care that can be provided to the patients, we have various roles that include clinical and non-clinical staff members within our PCN. The following roles include: Clinical Pharmacists - Undertake structured medication reviews, either in person or by telephone. They ensure that medicines are safe, appropriate, and well understood. They support patients with optimising long-term medication. Pharmacy Technician – supports patients to manage their medication and manage prescriptions. Telephone appointments only are offered. Social Prescriber – Telephone appointments can be offered with patients to identify non-medical needs and signposted to appropriate services such as community groups, social care services, housing support, financial support and wellbeing support. Their role focuses on improving their overall quality of life and independence. Sufficient time is allocated to have in depth conversations that are related to your concerns. Care Coordinators – Provide personalised support to manage your healthcare needs and signpost to the appropriate healthcare professional. Care Coordinators assist with care planning, organising appointments, prepare for follow up appointments so that individuals stay on track with their long-term condition management. They can also provide support with the NHS app services such as gaining online access to medical records. An online access form can be requested from the reception desk and then once approved by the GP, online access can be given. First Contact Physiotherapists (FCPs) – FCPs carry out physical assessments, diagnose and recommend appropriate treatments for individuals with musculoskeletal problems such as back pain, joint pain and muscle pain. Appointments offered can be telephone or face to face. Mental Health Practitioner – Mental health practitioners provide specialist mental health support to individuals with complex mental health needs such as anxiety and depression. They will carry out assessments, provide advice and support around managing mental health needs, signpost to other services if appropriate and offer brief interventions. Individuals over the age of 18 years old can be offered either a telephone or a face-to-face appointment. GP Assistants – Supports GPs to reduce workload and contribute to smooth running appointments by handling routine administrative tasks and basic clinical duties such as; blood tests, blood pressure check, ECGs and patient health checks. Patient Engagement Events Our Social prescribing team; care coordinators, health and wellbeing coach and social prescriber also offer patient engagement events that occur once a month. The event can also be known as a ‘coffee morning’ in which patients registered at the surgery will be invited to an informal discussion around a topic that includes a guest speaker. Flyers and posters will be displayed at the surgery of the upcoming event and patients will be invited from the social prescribing team via a telephone call. This is an opportunity for patients to be educated around different health topics and to get to know their social prescribing team within their local area whilst also enjoying refreshments that are provided. Examples of previous patient engagement events are: · Men’s mental health Healthy lifestyle · Social isolation · Digital exclusion

Meningitis Outbreak

Vaccination Queries following Kent meningitis outbreak: The Kent outbreak is linked to MenB meningococcal disease. The Men B vaccine is offered at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 1 year of age. Babies can be offered missed vaccinations up to 2 years of age. Practices cannot offer Men B vaccination routinely or on request to those over 2 years of age. The exception is for some children and adults with asplenia, splenic dysfunction or complement disorders (including those on complement inhibitor treatment) The Men ACWY vaccine is given to children in school in School Year 9 (13 or 14 years of age). Those who missed immunisation can receive the vaccination up to 25 years of age from their GP Practice. Useful links: Cases of invasive meningococcal disease notified in Kent - GOV.UK Meningitis - NHS

PCN Event

Online Link

We are continuing to successfully use the online triage link for booking of appointments, requesting prescriptions, requesting letters, fit notes. We have had good feedback regarding the link via our friends and family feedback forms. This link ( https://florey.accurx.com/p/Y00278 ) is available from 08:00am to 18:30pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays, and will be sent to you via a text message. If for some reason you are unable to use the link or need help being shown how to use the link one of our reception staff will be happy to help you.

Think Pharmacy First

The Pharmacy First scheme in Walsall allows patients to get prompt treatment for seven minor conditions—sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated UTIs

Ovarian Cancer Awareness

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in the UK and we're calling on you to help us raise awareness of the symptoms and signs of ovarian cancer.

Prostate Cancer Awareness

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and awareness is crucial for early detection, risk management, and support. Importance of Awareness Prostate cancer affects 1 in 8 men, and the risk is higher for Black men (1 in 4) and those with a family history or over the age of 50. Early detection significantly improves treatment outcomes, but prostate cancer often shows no symptoms in its early stages, making awareness and proactive screening essential. Awareness campaigns aim to educate men about risk factors, symptoms, and available tests, empowering them to make informed health decisions.

Gambling Awareness

Gambling Awareness Anyone looking for help, you are not alone. There are organisations like GamCare, Gamban and GAMSTOP, that have great tools and people to help get you through the tough times.

Next PPG Meeting

Next PPG meeting Monday 2nd March at 1.30pm.