Practice Newsletter: March 2026

GP Patient Survey 2026

Just a quick reminder that the 2026 National Patient Survey is still ongoing. If you have received an invitation, we would really appreciate you taking the time to complete the questionnaire before the end of March when the survey will close. Your feedback helps us continue to deliver the best possible service to our patients. If you need support completing the survey, or if you would like it in another language or format, you can call the free helpline on 0800 819 9135. For more information, visit the GP Patient Survey website.

Cervical Screening – What You Need to Know 

Cervical screening is a quick, simple test that helps keep the neck of the womb healthy and can prevent cancer. If you are a woman or have the neck of the womb and are aged 25 to 64, you will usually be invited every five years. The test takes a few minutes, is done by a nurse, and checks for high-risk HPV a virus that can sometimes cause small changes to the cells. These changes are not cancer, but they could turn into cancer over many years if not treated.

Carers’ Coffee Morning

The next Carers’ Coffee Morning will be held on Saturday 14 March at 11am, and we warmly encourage you to come along. This is an opportunity to share your experiences, connect with other Carers, and receive helpful information in a friendly setting. The group is self-run.

No Smoking Day

This March, Wells Park Practice is proud to support No Smoking Day, a national campaign encouraging anyone who smokes to take a positive step toward better health. Quitting isn’t easy, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our team can offer personalised advice, nicotine replacement options, and referrals to local stop-smoking services designed to help you succeed. Even if you're just thinking about quitting, we’re here to talk things through and help you explore the support available. Small steps can lead to big changes — let this be the start of your smoke-free journey.

Please contact the Practice for support or visit Smokefree Lewisham

Supporting You: Reasonable Adjustments at Our Practice

At our practice, we want everyone to be able to use our services easily and comfortably. If you have a disability, health condition, communication need, or anything else that makes visiting the GP more difficult, we can put reasonable adjustments in place to support you.

These might include things like longer appointments, a quiet waiting area, large-print letters, help with forms, or having a carer or family member with you during your visit. The NHS is also introducing a new Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, which securely records any adjustments you need so that all NHS services involved in your care can see them and support you appropriately. This helps ensure you receive the right help every time, without needing to repeat your needs at every appointment.

If you think you would benefit from any adjustments even if you are not sure please let us know. We are here to help you get the care you need, in the way that works best for you. You can tell us at reception, during an appointment, or through our website.

Our Chaperone Policy

At Wells Park Practice, we want every patient to feel safe and comfortable during their care, so we have updated our Chaperone Policy to make our approach clearer and easier to understand. A trained chaperone is available for any examination and will always be present for intimate examinations involving children and young people under 18.

We also make adjustments for patients with additional needs, respect cultural or language preferences (including using interpreters when needed), and ensure chaperones are offered ahead of home visits. Intimate examinations are never carried out by video. If you would like a chaperone at any appointment, please let a member of our team know. We are here to help

Farewell to Kwame and a Warm Welcome to Andrew

We said farewell to Kwame, Care Navigator, at the end of February. We thank him for all his hard work and contribution to the practice and wish him every success for the future. We are pleased to welcome Andrew, who has joined the team as our new Care Navigator. Please join us in thanking Kwame and in giving Andrew a warm welcome.

Celebrating Barbara’s Achievement!

We are incredibly proud to announce that Barbara, our Advanced Clinical Practitioner, has been officially recognised in the London General Practice Awards 2025/26! This wonderful honour comes after nearly 200 nominations from across London, and we are delighted that the nursing team’s hard work, compassion, and dedication have been acknowledged by colleagues and peers across the Capital. This fantastic achievement was celebrated at a special awards event on Thursday 5 February 2026, held on the beautiful Terrace of the House of Commons.

Upgrade to our Toilets

We are pleased to let you know that our funding bid to upgrade the practice toilets has been approved. Work will begin on Friday 6 March, and all toilets within the practice will be refurbished as part of this project. There may be some temporary disruption while the improvements are carried out, and we appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. We’ll do our best to keep any inconvenience to a minimum and will share further updates as the work progresses.

Facts and figures

Here’s a quick look at what we achieved together in February:

Your calls

• Incoming Calls: 1668
• Answered: 1614 (96.8%)

Your requests

Total Requests: 3589

• Via NHS App: 378
• Care Navigators: 470
• Online: 2741

Average: 276 per 1,000 patients (National average: 128 and Regional average: 150)

Appointments and services

• Telephone Appointments: 717
• GP Appointments Offered: 2744
• Blood Tests: 629
• Prescriptions Issued: 3,079
• Home Visits: 40

Your feedback

• Friends & Family Test: 92% of patients rated our services as Very Good or Good. 

Practice Closure

We will close for staff training at 12:30pm on Thursday 12 March and reopen at 8am on Friday 13 March. For any medical assistance which cannot wait until the surgery reopens, please contact SELDOC who will be providing GP cover on 07483 155 397.

Published: Mar 11, 2026