Practice News

View messages about your care in the NHS App

The NHS App is a simple and secure way to receive messages from your trusted health care providers.

Make sure to turn on notifications for the NHS App to stay up to date.

Download the NHS App or find the same services on the NHS website: www.nhs.uk/nhs-app

Published on 3rd Jul 2025

Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) Information

(Updated 18/06/2025)

Starting 23 June 2025, GPs in the UK will start to be able to prescribe Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) weight loss injections and provide the required patient education and ongoing monitoring. NHS England have instructed that GPs should only start prescribing Mounjaro (for weight loss) when the local integrated care board (ICB) have provided the plans and resources to deliver the service. At present, our local ICB (North East London – NEL ICB) have not yet finalised those plans.

Once NEL ICB have done that, they will then notify local GPs to commence the delivery of the service. The rollout of Mounjaro prescribing will be very gradual and for the first year, NHS England aims to reserve eligibility for those with the highest clinical need. The eligibility criteria is very strict and only 220,000 people across the UK are expected to qualify. At Somerford Grove Practice, with about 12,000 patients, statistically only around 35 may qualify and some of those may already be on weight loss medication.

To qualify, patients must have:

A BMI of 40 or more * You can calculate your own BMI: https://www.nhs.uk/health-assessment-tools/calculate-your-body-mass-index/calculate-bmi-for-adults Alternatively, you may use the Patient Health Monitor (free) in our GP Practice waiting room.

If BMI is above 40, you will also need to have FOUR of the following five criteria.

1. Diagnosed Hypertension

2. Diagnosed Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

3. Diagnosed Type 2 diabetes

4. Diagnosed Cardiovascular disease

5. Diagnosed Hypercholesterolemia

* BMI of 37.5 or more for people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean ethnic backgrounds.

If you do not have a BMI above 40* AND four of the listed conditions above, your GP will NOT be able to prescribe you Mounjaro for weight loss. Hence, we request that appointments are not booked for this purpose to avoid blocking access for patients who are unwell and need to be seen by a doctor.

If you do fulfil all the above criteria, please book an appointment with a GP for a review. At present, only secondary care (e.g. hospital) tier 3 specialist weight management services, are able to prescribe Mounjaro.

Should have any queries for NHS ICB on this matter, please contact the Medicines Optimisation team on: nelondonicb.nel-primarycare@nhs.net

Published on 19th Jun 2025

Digital Support - Drop-In Sessions

Need help with Digital Support? Please come to our support sessions every Wednesday.

Published on 10th Feb 2025

BOOK NURSE APPOINTMENTS 24/7 WITHOUT WAITING FOR RECEPTION

You can now book a Nurse appointment using the 24hr automated telephone booking system

Simply call: 020 3818 7679

The system will use your date of birth and current mobile number to verify you as a registered patient.

Please make sure we have your correct telephone number on your records.

Published on 15th Oct 2024

IMPORTANT NOTICE - SMS Text Messaging

Due to the limitations of SMS text messaging, we shall now primarily use email for patient communication whenever possible.

Our email will come from the following address: no-reply.accurx15@nhs.net

Please note, this is a non-reply address, so you will not be able to respond directly. If you need to contact us via email, kindly use: nelondonicb.sgppatients@nhs.net.

We encourage you to email us to confirm or update your current email address.

Many thanks.

Published on 15th Oct 2024

Find out what's happening!

Somerford Easter Newsletter.pdf

Published on 9th Apr 2024

Veteran Friendly Practice

We are an Armed Forces veteran friendly accredited GP practice.

Veteran Friendly Practice Accreditation Certificate.pdf

This means that, as part of the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant, we have a dedicated clinician who has a specialist knowledge of military related health conditions and veteran specific health services. This is important in helping ex-forces to get the best care and treatment. If you are ex-forces, please let your GP know to help ensure you are getting the best possible care.

Patient Charter.pdf

Top Tips for Veterans.pdf

Published on 4th Mar 2024

Green Impact for Health

We are working to reduce our environmental impact by participating in the green impact for health scheme. This is important because environmental problems like climate change and air pollution damage the health of our patients and affect our ability to work effectively. The NHS makes up 4-5% of the UK’s carbon footprint currently, but it’s taking action to reduce this.

Things we are doing at Somerford Grove:

- Reviewing our inhaler prescribing to make sure we provide the best possible care for all patients with asthma or COPD while also choosing inhalers with low carbon footprints where possible

- Regular medication reviews to ensure all prescriptions are safe and necessary – this improves patient safety and reduces waste

- Doing our best to take a ‘prevention rather than cure’ attitude, by providing advice on healthy lifestyles and using our social prescribing and health and wellbeing services and our volunteer group to address problems that affect our patients’ health

- Working with our landlord to improve the efficiency of the heating system

- Using email and text messages to communicate where possible, and using paper only when necessary

Things you can do:

- Help to reduce waste by only ordering your medication when needed and checking your medication before you leave the pharmacy so that any incorrect prescriptions can be used for another patient, but if they have been outside the pharmacy they can’t be reused

- Take any used inhalers or unwanted medication back to the pharmacy so they can dispose of it safely – don’t put it in your normal bin or flush it down the toilet - Reduce your exposure to air pollution by avoiding busy roads especially at rush hour, only driving when necessary and turning your engine off when stationary

The good news is that we can look after our health and look after the planet at the same time, because there are lots of things that are good for both. These include reducing the amount of meat and dairy in our diets and increasing the amounts of fruit and vegetables, cycling or walking instead of travelling by car and taking care of our green spaces so that we can spend more time in nature, and connecting with others to build healthy communities. We all have different circumstances and not all of us are able to do all these things, but it’s important that we work together and do the things we can.

Published on 19th Feb 2024

Measles

There is information on measles on the NHS website. This includes advice to parents and carers to check if their child has measles, including photos of the measles rash. The rash looks brown or red on white skin. It may be harder to see on brown and black skin.

UKHSA are working on getting images of measles on darker skin, but there are some in this guide https://www.blackandbrownskin.co.uk/mindthegap)

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness, so anyone with symptoms is advised to stay at home and phone their GP or NHS 111 for advice, rather than visiting the surgery or A&E, to prevent the illness spreading further.

Published on 19th Feb 2024

NHS App waiting list information

From 30 January 2024, the NHS App will show patients an estimated waiting time for their hospital treatment at NHS acute trusts.

Download the Appp today NHS App and your NHS account - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Published on 31st Jan 2024

NEW ADVANCED PHARMACY FIRST SCHEME

From 31st January 2024, people across Hackney can pop down to their local pharmacy for help with seven minor conditions which would previously have required a GP appointment.

Earlier this year 75% of people said they wanted to see pharmacies offering more healthcare services such as treating urinary tract infections or sore throats, and now they will be. Almost all pharmacies will offer the new service, giving advice and, if needed, NHS medicines, to treat seven common health conditions – and all without needing to get a GP appointment.

As experts in medicines and managing minor illnesses, pharmacists have been backed by Government and the NHS to provide a new NHS ‘Pharmacy First’ service. Many pharmacies across City and Hackney have signed up to support people in certain age groups seeking help for sore throats, earache in children, sinusitis, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles, and urinary tract infections in women.

If you have symptoms that suggest you may have one of these conditions, you can now walk into a pharmacy and be offered a consultation with the pharmacist. Under the new service pharmacists can provide advice and, if clinically necessary, will offer an NHS medicine to treat it (NHS prescription charge apply if you normally pay for medicines supplied on prescription). Should the pharmacy team be unable to help, you will be directed to your GP surgery or A&E as appropriate.

By thinking ‘Pharmacy First’, people will find it easier and quicker to get the help they need and bypass the 8am rush to book an appointment with their GP. The new service is part of a wider expansion of healthcare services that will empower pharmacists to use more of their skills and give people more choice about their healthcare. It is also hoped that the service will be expanded to include more conditions in the future. Find the new service at a pharmacy near you using the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/prescriptions-and-pharmacies/

Published on 31st Jan 2024

Digital Advisor (help with setting up your online access account)

We now have Digital Advisors at the surgery. They can assist you in getting access to online services via the practice website and the NHS App.

The advisors are available in the practice on Monday mornings between 11:00 am - 13:00 pm in the small waiting area, to the left hand side of reception.

You can give your name to Reception staff, who will add you to the list of the next session, or you can just walk in on the day.

Published on 30th Jan 2024

Opt Out - HIV Testing

From October 2023, everyone who has their blood tested as part of an NHS Health Check (ages 40 -74) will be tested for HIV.

It is important to get diagnosed early as treatment is life saving and free from the NHS.

Your results are confidential. If you do not want to be tested please let a member of staff know.

If you do not need a blood test as part of your NHS Health Check, but do not want to be tested for HIV, please let a member of staff know.

Opt out - HIV Testing for website.pdf

Published on 28th Sep 2023

HELP US TO HELP YOU - BOOK NURSE APPOINTMENTS 24/7 WITHOUT WAITING FOR RECEPTION