April Newsletter 2025

Issue 5

In this issue

Welcome Message from Patient Participation Group Chair Team
Message from the Partners
Open Day - Save the Date!
Meet the Team
Practice Website Upgrade
What is a Social Prescriber - Q&A Session
Focus Topic - Overcoming Loneliness

Welcome Message

From: Renee Bernstein & Leon Douglas, Our Patient Participation Group Chair Team

Welcome to Issue 5 of our bi-annual Newsletter from patients and medical staff of the West Hampstead Medical Centre. We are delighted that we have the opportunity to let you know about the latest developments at the surgery and in the local community. We hope that you find the information useful and that being aware of all the Centre and local area has to offer is beneficial to your quality of life. Keep a look out for our Open Meeting coming up later this year. We hope to see you there. We are always happy to hear from you with your thoughts and suggestions.

You can submit this via the surgery website feedback form.

Message from the Partners

I am taking this opportunity to comment on recent events that you may be feeling some unease about. The NHS is featuring in the News a lot in recent days. The news that NHS England is being disbanded was a surprise to all. While it will signal change, it will provide an opportunity to restructure things, mainly management, and we will be listening out for any opportunity to input and focus on what we can offer and improve in primary care.

We are cautiously optimistic that General Practice will be better resourced with new changes to the GP contract announced by Wes Streeting recently, that will enable us to retain more of our young GP colleagues locally and thus continue to provide good access to our patients.

There has been a lot in the news (including today as I write this piece!) about Physician Associates, about who they are and when to insist on seeing a doctor.

We would like to reassure everyone that at WHMC we have 4 Physician Associates who have been with us for several years and who are supervised within every clinic by a senior named GP, usually one of the partners.

This gives us direct insight into what is working well and where there may be issues that we can act on and provide support with.

We have an amazing team at West Hampstead Medical Centre, and I am confident we can continue to provide a very good service for you.

Dr Birgit Curtis (on behalf of the GP Partners)

Open Day - Save the Date

We are planning our next open meeting for later this year. This will be held at the practice on:

Tuesday 14th October 2025 from 7:30pm to 9pm

Do you have any suggestions? Are there any topics you would like to hear about?

If you have any ideas or subjects you would like to suggest for discussion, please let us know by submitting them via the website on our contact us page.

Meet The Team

We’re pleased to share that our dedicated clinical team has remained with us since our last newsletter (Issue 4) in October 2024. Additionally, we warmly welcome our newly appointed Social Prescriber, Joe, who joined us in February 2025! You can learn more about Joe and his role at the practice on page 3 of this newsletter.

Our team remains committed to providing you with the highest quality care, and we truly appreciate their ongoing hard work and dedication.

GPs: full range of clinical problems

GP Registrars (rotating basis): full range of clinical problems

Our current GP registrars are:

Dr Atinuke Akinmolayan
Dr Jack Bisson
Dr Lana Huang
Dr Christina Bell
Dr Khalid Hamad

Practice Nurse: cervical screening (smear tests), immunisations, dressings, diabetic foot checks, ear checks, asthma checks

Nursing Associate: blood pressure checks, foot checks, B12 vaccinations or simple dressings

Physician Associates: similar workload to GPs but no children under 10 years old

Clinical Pharmacist: annual medication reviews, diabetes care, asthma reviews, mental health medication reviews

Health & Wellbeing Co-Ordinator: supporting patients to improve their mental health, physical health and overall wellbeing.

Newly appointed Social Prescriber: Mr Joseph (Joe) Graham social problems, housing issues, isolation issues, community and exercise groups.

We have a photo board in the Reception Foyer with photographs of all the clinical team members. The next time you are in, please do take a look!

Practice Website

We've upgraded our surgery website!

We recently updated our surgery website to improve your experience.

The new site has a completely different layout, making it easier for you to navigate.

We've taken feedback from our patients, PPG group, and website provider to ensure these changes meet your needs.

Our content is still under review, so you may notice ongoing updates.

We appreciate your patience and hope you find the new design helpful.

Social Prescribing

In this edition, we wanted to focus on the role of our Social Prescriber and what their day looks like.

What is a Social Prescriber?

A Social Prescriber connects people to non-medical support within their community to improve health and wellbeing. They help individuals access activities like exercise classes, arts groups, volunteering, and debt advice, addressing social, emotional, or practical needs. Working alongside GPs and healthcare teams, social prescribers support people with long-term conditions, mental health issues, or loneliness, promoting holistic care beyond traditional medical treatments.

Why and how did you become a Social Prescriber?

I became a Social Prescriber because I’ve always loved working with people, whether building relationships with customers in hospitality management or supporting teams in HR. My own healthcare journey with Crohn’s disease inspired me to help others navigate similar challenges. I’m currently training in counselling and have been volunteering as a social prescriber at Parliament Hill Medical Centre for the past year. I’m passionate about using my professional and personal experiences to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives by helping individuals connect with their community and improve their wellbeing.

What did your training involve?

My training involved shadowing a social prescriber to understand the role and how they support people with diverse needs. This experience taught me how to connect individuals with community resources and provide tailored support. Additionally, my counselling course has developed my active listening skills, enabling me to help people feel heard and safe. It’s also helped me understand what matters most to them, fostering trust and meaningful relationships.

Tell us more about your role in the surgery?

In my role at the surgery, I support the clinical team by addressing patients’ needs in a non-medical, holistic way. I believe small changes and community engagement can have a significant impact on wellbeing. I split my time between networking with local community programmes and services to understand available support, and seeing patients face-to-face, building relationships to understand what matters most to them and providing tailored support accordingly.

What does your job look like each day?

Each day at the surgery, I meet with people who run community and local services, collaborate with clinicians to discuss patient needs, and see patients face-to-face. This allows me to provide personalised support by connecting them with relevant community resources.

What is your favourite part of your job?

My favourite part of the job is meeting with patients. I get a real buzz from the interactions and genuinely believe everyone has an interesting story to tell. It’s incredibly rewarding to build those relationships and support people in ways that matter most to them. I also love working with the team at West Hampstead Medical Centre. Everyone has been so warm and welcoming, creating a great working environment making the job both fulfilling and enjoyable every day.

Why not book an appointment?

If you feel that you could benefit from any non-medical support, please speak to a member of the reception team who will be able to book an appointment with me, to see if I can be of assistance. My door is always open.

Focus Topic - Overcoming Loneliness

Loneliness is something that can affect anyone at any age and stage of life.

The word loneliness can sometimes feel very stigmatising, but it is increasingly being recognised as a social problem.

In modern day life, you can be BUSY but still feel LONELY…

The good news is that there are lots of local initiatives that are available to help support you if you are affected by loneliness. We have selected a few options for you to look at but there are multiple options available out there.

Get support if you feel lonely

Surgery Activities

We are going to be starting our own ART and WALKING groups at the surgery in the next couple of months, which you will also be able to get involved with. Please keep a look out for further information in the surgery and on our website in the next few weeks. These are being arranged by our Social Prescriber ‘Joe’. We are also hoping to hold a ‘DROP IN COFFEE MORNING’ to give patients a chance to meet and chat at the surgery.

Did you know that we are an official ‘parkrun surgery’?

Parkrun is a 5k free community event where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate every Saturday morning.

Our nearest parkrun events are held at Gladstone Park & Hampstead Heath, so please do sign up.

Visit the Parkrun website

Connecting With Your Community

Community Association for West Hampstead

Bringing the local community together with lots of activities for children, adults and the local community which include - Dance for Fitness (Zumba) and Movement and Strength for Men, Art, Book Club, Carpentry Course, Yoga, Ballet for Children, Baby Massage, Community Lunch, and more!

Visit the Community Association for West Hampstead

Abbey Community Centre

Visit the Abbey Community Centre website

Abbey Community Activities Programme

Would you like to get active, learn new skills, find support and meet other local people?

If this sounds like you, why not sign up to become a member of the Abbey Community Activities Programme.

Meeting new people can help us to feel happier and healthier. If you’re ready to meet new people, there are lots of ways to connect.

Visit the Camden Council website

Volunteer Centre Camden

There are also lots of opportunities to volunteer at local organisations in Camden. Find local organisations and available roles here.

Visit the Volunteer Centre Camden website

Social Groups & Activities

These are some of the groups available in Camden.

Camden Libraries
Community Groups & Charities in Camden - Voluntary Action Camden
Camden Town Shed
Camden Carers at the Greenwood Centre, Kentish Town
Community Lunch Club
Recovery College
Open House at Primrose Hill Community Association
Parents Group at The Winch, Swiss Cottage

Walking & Outside Gyms

Published: Apr 3, 2025

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