Wellbeing

Alresford Surgery News that you place your medication requests in plenty of good time.

NHS Covid Pass

With travelling abroad on a lot of people’s minds we have seen an increase in queries regarding covid passes for travel, this is something that is not handled by the GP Surgery but by NHS England. There are several options available on how to option a covid pass, please see a summary of these below;

You can get a digital NHS COVID Pass online or by using the NHS App if you are aged 12 years old or above. You can download your NHS COVID Pass, print it, have it sent to you in an email or show it on your smartphone if you have one. To get your NHS COVID Pass online or through the NHS App, you'll be asked to create an NHS login if you do not have one already.

If you do not have access to a smartphone & are unable to use the NHS App then you can request that your covid pass to be sent to you by post, by calling 119 (This needs to be requested at least 4 weeks before you plan to travel)

For full information please visit; https://www. nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/nhscovid-pass/get-an-nhs-covid-pass/

Mask wearing

There has been a change to guidance which we must follow effective 1st July 2022. Please note that due to the rapidly rising rate of Covid infections locally patients MUST wear a face mask when attending the Surgery. Thank you for your understanding.

Dispensary service

Over the summer months (From now until September) it is likely to take longer for prescriptions to be handled by our dispensary due to staffing levels. Therefore please ensure

Travelling abroad

Immunisations and advice are available through our Travel Service. Please collect a form from Reception, or follow the link on our website to complete the form online, and then make an appointment in our Travel Clinic. The form should be returned to the surgery prior to your appointment.

You will have a telephone appointment initially to discuss all your travel arrangements, then if required a follow up face to face appointment for the vaccinations. You should allow at least 8 weeks to enable vaccination courses to be completed.

There may be a charge for certain vaccines. For more information please visit our website; https://alresfordsurgery.co.uk/clinics-andresources/

Exhibition Voted a Success

Alresford Art Society organisers are delighted with their 2022 exhibition which showcased 120 works of art and welcomed over 700 visitors. With exhibits in watercolour, oil, acrylic, pastel and mixed media, as well as sculpture, wire and mosaic, there was truly something for everyone. Indeed 543 visitors took part in the People’s Choice competition, voting for their favourite exhibit, with Jeannie Pakenham of Longwood scooping both the People’s Choice prize and the award for the Best Watercolour Painting for her painting The Sightseers.

The exhibition was sponsored for the fifth year by Hellards estate agents and opened by Gill Grant, founder of the Alresford Arts Festival and Manager of the Light Room in Alresford. “Exhibiting is terrifying,” said Gill, “so why do we do it? Promotion? Baring your soul to the world? What if no one likes it, or worse is very critical? I believe we exhibit our work because we are courageous, but more than that we simply love what we do and hope that people will come and at the very least love to look.

“Professional artists are delighted when they do sell a piece,” she said, “likewise, the amateur artist sits happily in a haze of smiley self-belief. It makes it all worthwhile to sell a piece, to have a person fall in love with it enough to make a connection and want to see it every day in their home and it changes the perception we artists have of ourselves and of our work for the better. The studio, whether it be a kitchen table or converted barn - can be a place of solace, pleasure and achievement, or conversely of frustration, problem-solving even loneliness.

“Here in Alresford we are blessed with many things, one of which is undoubtedly The Alresford Art Society which since 1965 has been supporting, educating, inspiring, helping, promoting, collaborating and offering meetings and days out with other artists and obviously exhibiting - creating a real and long-lasting legacy and artistic community,” she declared.

Other exhibition winners were Best Oil - The Blyth at Walberswick by Ken Crowhurst; Best Floral or Botanical painting - Cyclamen by Sue Cox, Best Acrylic - Washing Day by Julie Hepenstal, Best Mixed Media - Copse and Landscape by Jean Wheeler, Best 3D - Bull Mastiff by Alice Aernout. The Best New Exhibitor to this year’s exhibition was Windmills of My Mind by Catriona Mills,

Jeannie Pakenham - The Sightseers Gordon Thoday, Jeannie Pakenham, Robin Moore and Gill Grant

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IT'S YOUR TIME NOW

Treatments focused on the We will be hosting a We will be hosting a beauty of positive ageing. “Skin Analysis Event” “Skin Analysis Event” on Friday 27th May 2022on Friday 27th May 2022

Our patients say that life gets better with age… It really is an attitude. With a little bit of expert help from us, your age doesn’t need to Join us for a complimentary Visia Skin Analysis, Join us for a complimentary Visia Skin Analysis, mean that you become invisible. demonstrations from the experts and meet the demonstrations from the experts and meet the team at our ticketed event. Attendees will need to team at our ticketed event. Attendees will need to We specialise in helping women thrive and live their best, most confident lives. book their time slot with the reception team prior to the date. book their time slot with the reception team prior to the date. Tickets are £25.00 and redeemed as a voucher on Tickets are £25.00 and redeemed as a voucher on arrival. We look forward to seeing you there. arrival. We look forward to seeing you there. Book your consultation today.

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Winchester Councillors Report

Our rivers are not only beautiful, they provide restorative space for us all and vital habitats for wildlife

What do we see? • A 99.5 % decline in eels in the Arle since the 1960s. • Silt and algal growth – which stops the eggs of all sorts of species taking up the necessary oxygen, and reduces the oxygen available for those that do hatch. • A decline in both species and quantity of wildlife in our rivers -very apparent to those that have lived here a while. • A marked difference in aquatic life above and below settlements without mains drainage. • Sewage, chemicals and pesticides - none of us want this stuff in our local waterways! Winchester City Council has resolved take a far closer interest in what goes into our rivers, and ask agencies to explain what is being done. But we all need to do what we can to help. So, here’s some ideas on how you can make a difference and help clean up our local rivers.

1.Cut back on the water you use from the tap and toilet!!

Every drop of tap water used comes from local chalk aquifers - the more we use, the less there is in the aquifer to feed our rivers. Purifying water to drinking standards uses a lot of energy, so using less helps reduce your carbon footprint as well. Actions range from easy to challenging. ‘Shower not bath’ is well known if you want to reduce water consumption but why not set a timer for 5 minutes and/or use an aerator or low-flow shower: power showers increase the volume of water used.

Toilets account for over 35% of all the water used in the home. If you don’t have dual flush cisterns, and the cistern capacity is 6l, or greater, you can get a free Save a Flush bag https://www.southernwater.co.uk/helpadvice/how-to-save-water/request-a-save-aflush-bag

Run washing and dishwashing machines only when full, don’t run taps unnecessarily, common when toothbrushing, and promptly repair leaking and dripping taps.

Margot Power

Russell Gordon -Smith

2. Change your cleaning habits

Many of you are on ‘private arrangements’ rather than mains drainage but all of us can make simple changes to cleaning regimes to prevent chemicals contaminating our aquifers and rivers. The suggestions below apply especially to those with septic tanks and following them will save money on pump outs as well as benefit water quality but they are also important for those of us on mains drainage. Most obvious of all, use fewer cleaning products - they all have an impact. A lot of grime can be removed with a hot damp cloth. Use toilet fresheners, mild detergents, fabric conditioners and washing powders/liquids in moderation. These can adversely impact the natural bacteriological balance in the septic tank.

Use bleach and disinfectants VERY SPARINGLY - bleaches kill friendly bacteria. Use non-biological and less aggressive cleaning products. There are many environmental ranges and even a biodegradable bleach. Look for labelling which shows that products are septic tank friendly. Don’t use your toilet and sink as a rubbish bin! Important for all of us, but especially those on ‘private arrangements’: don’t flush cat litter, disposable nappies, paper towels, sanitary items, facial tissues, coffee grounds, cigarettes, cotton buds or condoms down the toilet.

don’t use anti-bacterial hand wash - it poison’s your septic tank with every wash

don't install a waste disposal unit - they can double the solids going into your tank, meaning more frequent emptying

don’t dispose of grease, oil, or fat down

the sink - they block your pipes and disrupt the tank’s processes - remove fats with kitchen towel which should be binned

don't dispose of white spirit, varnish, paint thinners, motor oils, petrol, etc down the drain - they will ruin your tank, and will seriously pollute groundwater

don’t wash paint brushes in the sink or put brush cleaning liquids into the drains - collect these liquids and dispose of them safely at our local tip; or move to nonsolvent based paints - better for the air you breathe as well

don’t connect rainwater drainage pipes from roofs or drains to the septic tank.

3. Garden for water conservation

Rather more fun is to be had in the garden - by engineering levels you can reduce run off - the silt impacts water quality - and retain more water for your plants, as well as providing possible boggy bits, for interest and diversity. You are all, of course, using water butts where you can - not on seedlings though, there’s a risk of fungal disease. To reduce run off and increase retention, grow plants that use less water, and increase permeability - no hard surfacing. Grass is very overrated - it’s good for playing on, and livestock, but a lawn takes a lot of love, effort and chemicals which again will end up in the aquifer.