Wellbeing

Alresford Surgery News

Andover Mind Update

Andover Mind are excited to announce the launch of their web chat service! The new online chat service makes accessing information faster and provides another way to get in touch without the need to call. It also makes communication easier for people who do not speak English as their first language, allowing the use of programmes like Google Translate to chat. The chat is open on weekdays between 9:30am - 16:30pm. They have a dedicated team waiting to offer advice, support and information for all their services. To access the web chat by clicking the small pop-up in the bottom left of https://www.andovermind.org.uk/

Please be aware that despite being called “Andover MIND”, they actually provide services right across Hampshire, supporting people with mental ill health as well as adult carers, who care for an adult, and people living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

Farewell from Dr. Wright

Dear Patients, I am writing to inform you that I shall be retiring later this month. I qualified as a doctor in 1989, and have spent most of my working life as a GP, the greater part as a partner at Alresford Surgery, so it will be quite a wrench. I have always been fascinated by science, medicine and psychology, and have relished the diagnostic challenges of General Practice, but above all I’ve most wanted to walk alongside patients on their journeys in both health and ill health. I very much hope that I have been able to support some of you in this way over the years. Thank you all for making my working life so interesting and enjoyable.

There have been enormous changes since I started at Alresford - I wonder, for example, how many of you remember the walk-in surgeries in the back room of Preston Candover Village Hall? - and in the last couple of years the Pandemic has led to many frustrations which we all share. However I have always been fortunate to work with a dedicated team of doctors, nurses and vital support staff, and for that I am very grateful.

With my best wishes

Susie Wright

The Alresford Surgery

Station Road, Alresford, Hampshire, SO24 9JL Appointments: 01962 732345 Dispensary: 01962 732345 Health Visitors: 01962 831088 Community Nursing Team: 01489 878629

Goodbye from Dr. Lowman

Where have the last thirty years gone? I remember starting work at Alresford Surgery in 1992, when General Practice was very different, including writing in patient notes using fountain pen, doing nights on-call carrying a bag full of equipment and medications, and relying on paper maps and torches to find rural addresses. A fond memory is holding weekly branch surgeries in Preston Candover Village Hall, using the nearby phone box to enquire about home visits to be done afterwards. Hospital referrals were simple, and I had easy access to Consultant colleagues, meeting them once a week over lunch for an educational session. From antenatal to end-of-life care, and everything in between, we were involved in it all.

How things have changed. I am now part of a large multidisciplinary team with greater specialisation, and technology has allowed me to consult by text, email, and video, even working from home when necessary. There is a “template” for everything, electronic inboxes and messaging systems, and various pathways to enable hospital referrals. Medicine is more complex and treatment possibilities almost endless. Education and meetings are done via “Teams” sitting at my computer, and lunch is noticeable only by its absence! Yet, much has remained the same. Concern, anxiety and fear around ill health is a normal human characteristic that can affect us all. Illness continues to present in many different ways, challenging clinicians daily as we try to make a diagnosis. Some of my patients have been from the same families for three decades, though in recent years from the third or even fourth generation! Over the years we have shared many stories together, and I have had the privilege of being there through both good and difficult times. It is the continuity of these relationships that has made my role as a GP such an enjoyable one and I am grateful for this. Alongside this, I have had the privilege of working within a team who are kind, compassionate, and committed to providing the best care possible, having to respond to a continually changing NHS. As I step back from the surgery, I wish you all well in the future. Best wishes, Ann Lowman

Winchester District Citizens Advice

Lesley Rose, Advice Services Manager for Citizens Advice Winchester District gives advice on what to do if you think you’ve been treated unfairly when applying for a job.

I recently applied for a job at a local pub which offered National Minimum Wage. I had an interview and at the end the manager asked how old I was. After telling her I was 25 she told me she would be in touch, but it would be unlikely I’d get the job because they wouldn’t be able to afford to pay me the required wage. She said she’d prefer to hire someone younger. Is this legal?

Nobody should be asking you how old you are in a job interview. Being 25, you’re entitled to the National Living Wage. On the Citizens Advice website there are full

Alresford and District Neighbourhood Watch Association

We have been busy the last couple of months behind the scenes, and we are sorry that we have not had any information in the last few Forums. We aim to maintain regular articles moving forward.

New Chairman

We would like to thank Colin Harris, our chairman for the last four years, who has supported our committee working freely for the local area, but now has passed the baton to the newly elected Chairman Colin Isaacs. Colin has lived in Alresford for over 14 years and many will know him from the charity details of the wages people are entitled to by law. But these rules shouldn’t mean employers avoid hiring people because of how old they are. That’s known as ‘direct age discrimination’ in the Equality Act 2010.

You’re also protected by the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, which says employers can’t not hire you (and they can’t fire you) because your age means you’re entitled to a higher rate. We have a lot of information on our website about what to do if you’re being treated unfairly when applying for a job. If you’ve been discriminated against, there are steps you can take to either get compensation or convince the person to give you a job.

Make a note of what happened as soon as you can - noting down exactly what you were asked and any other remarks the interviewer made. This will be useful as evidence later. Next, you should write a letter of complaint to the employer. Keep a copy of this letter for your own records. There’s advice on the Citizens Advice website on what this letter should include and you can also speak to an adviser at your

Halloween events in Alresford or from walking with the much loved family dog, Digby. Colin is married to one of our local Winchester City Cllrs Fiona Isaacs. Colin Isaacs said, “I look forward to contributing further to our wonderful town and thank our previous chairman for all the work that Colin has done.”

Please contact us if

You are a coordinator or want to volunteer. Due to events in the last two years, we have had to change the way we communicate with our coordinators, so we ask that all our coordinators please get in touch, so we can update our database.

If you wish to be a coordinator we are currently looking for new members and we would be happy for you to join. Please use this new email address and pass on your details. secure@ilovealresford.com or please ring 01962 808072

Up-coming events

We are sponsoring a local event due to the Queen’s Jubilee we hope to see you all at The Globe for four days of fun on Thursday, June 2nd to Sunday 5th. local Citizens Advice to get help writing it.

If the letter doesn’t get an outcome you’re happy with, you could take the employer to an employment tribunal. You’ll need as much evidence of discrimination as possible. Evidence should include the job advert, the job description, your notes about what was said at the interview and any contact you’ve had with the employer since - like your complaint letter.

Remember that you only have three months minus one day from the date that the ‘discriminatory act’ (in this case, the comments in your interview) happened to start tribunal proceedings. You do this by contacting the government organisation Acas and telling them that you intend to bring a claim.

Nobody should have to worry about being discriminated against when job hunting.

For more advice on your rights when searching for work, visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work or call Citizens Advice Winchester District on 0808 278 7861.

Free Training

Dragonfly project (Paragon) Due to an increase in domestic violence, we are sharing this free training.

The Dragonfly Project offers training for community members who want to offer signposting and support for people affected by domestic abuse. Dragonfly champions are trained to provide a listening ear and act as a link to domestic abuse support agencies so that people who are isolated have access to help.

To find out more or to sign up for one of the workshops (run virtually via MS Teams) please visit: https://paragonteam.org.uk/ dragonfly-project/

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