PETERCULTER MEDICAL PRACTICE
THE official opening of the new medical centre went very smoothly, with the ceremony taking place on 22 June 2001 with Dr Mac Armstrong, the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland conducting the formal part of the proceedings. The day was enjoyed by the partners, staff and invited guests, and we feel has been a fitting official start to this era of our new updated medical premises. Working in the new building with its enhanced facilities has been a pleasure and I think we are all finding that the improved facilities are coping well with the work that we do here. We also hope that the ambience is comfortable for you all, and the new electronic call system in the waiting room proving to be relatively easy to use. The GPs are getting much less exercise nowadays since we don't walk our several miles per month between consulting rooms and waiting room!
The annual 'flu vaccination programme is wen underway, and again as before we are targeting those with chronic kidney failure or kidney disease, diabetes, certain asthmatic patients (those who take preventor steroid inhalers), the elderly, those with heart disease, and those on drugs which suppress the immune system. If there are any queries about this, please contact the surgery.
We would like to warmly welcome Mrs Linda Rae to the practice nurse team. She joined us in October having previously worked at Roxburghe House. There are no other staff changes to report at the present time.
I wish to pass our grateful thanks to the Committee of the Peterculter Patient Participation Group (PPPG) who have been working hard over the past few years in order to offer their services as an interface between the patients of the practice and the practice doctors and staff. They have organised several useful items to support the Practice (e.g. the P & J in the waiting room, suggestions box, and staff identification board) achieving these innovations through fund-raising activities. In addition they have organised several interesting and useful talks over the years, but unfortunately there has been
a very poor uptake of interest in their various events. It looks likely therefore that the activities of the PPPG may cease in the relatively near future, but it is to be congratulated for the work that has put in over the past few years. The country-wide experience of such groups is rather variable, and certainly many factors come into play determining their success. These include the various particular needs of the communities in which the practices operate, and the relationship which already exists between a practice and its community. At Peterculter we would always hope that, should you have any suggestions or comments about the service, you are able to address these directly to us in any case.