Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF) points 2008/9

We're delighted to announce that Strachur Medical Practice scored 998.5 out of 1,000 in this year's QoF.

QoF is the Quality and Outcomes Framework that every NHS General Medical Services GP Practice has to complete each year. It measures quality care over a wide range of areas such as blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes care and so on.

You can view Strachur Medical Practice's QoF points score and disease prevalence rates online and compare it to other practices in the area, and to the Health Board and national averages. (This year's figures are not available online yet, but previous years are.)

We only missed two points of the 1,000 - one was because we decided not to collect ethnicity data on our patients because we had an ethical objection, and a half point because one of the staff vaccination certificates went missing.

I'd like to thank all of the staff at the practice for their hard work at acheiving this excellent score.`

New lights

The electrician should be coming on Monday (18th June, 2007) to fit the new lighting for the practice.

I've always hated fluorescent overhead lights, and the ones in the practice are the old-style ones which are particularly ugly and prone to headache-inducing glare.

To replace them, we'll be using ceiling mounted spot lights. We can't mount them into the actual ceiling because we would have to remove too much of the roof insulation for fire safety reasons.

However, Ikea do nice spot lights mounted on a ceiling track that should produce a pleasant, warm light in the practice with minimum glare.

NHS Prescription Tax rise

The NHS has decided to increase the prescription tax to £6.85 from the 1st of April.

Easter Holiday

The surgery will be closed on Easter Monday, the 9th of April.

Dr Coull will be on call for emergencies over the Easter weekend, so in an emergency call 01369 860 224 to contact the doctor.