News

RUDGWICK MEDICAL CENTRE MARCH 2026 NEWSLETTER

We are pleased to share a few internal team updates.

At the end of March, one of our wonderful secretaries, Lynn, will be retiring to allow more time to travel with her family.  Lynn has worked at Rudgwick Medical Centre for 12 years and will be missed by members of staff and patients alike.

 Over recent months we have welcomed new members of staff to the Care Navigator Team and ask our patients to please continue to be patient during training.

 

Collecting from the Dispensary

Collect your prescriptions between 8.30 -12 or 14.00 – 18.00/18.30 Monday to Friday.

 If you are collecting medication or a script on behalf of someone else, you will be asked a series of questions including any payment exemptions and to confirm the patient’s requests for next time. It is important we have this information to ensure smooth running of our dispensary and that we can assist you in a timely manner.

Vaccinations throughout the year

Even though we hope for warmer weather over the next few months, various vaccinations are available to keep you well. For certain age groups we offer Vaccinations to help protect against Shingles, Pneumonia and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Additionally we encourage expectant Mothers and Children to attend for their routine vaccinations to keep them well. This include Whooping cough, Tetanus and Chickenpox. Please visit the NHS website or enquire with the surgery to see if you are eligible for any of these. 

Accessing support from us via the website

We are now using a new platform, SystmConnect, for our electronic consultations. Submitting a request via SystmConnect is the quickest and easiest way to contact us and to request an appointment.  Please see our "News" page for more information and a video introducing the new system. Via this platform you can access Health reviews to complete and request for Travel Vaccinations. Please use the space at the bottom of the form to provide further information you would like to, including any parts you would like to add to. Once you have submitted your query, your request will be sent to our clinical team where it will be reviewed. This may not be within 2 working days for routine requests due to high demand but all urgent requests will be prioritised and we will always endeavour to contact urgent patients the same day.

Contacting patients

If you have contacted the surgery for a request for an appointment and have not heard from us within a few days, please do get in touch to follow this up. We may have made several attempts to contact you but have not been able to get through on the phone or have had no response to messages sent via Airmid/email/SMS/voicemail. After three failed contact attempts with no response to messages left, we will close the request and kindly ask that you contact us if you are still seeking our assistance. 

Missed appointments – why it really matters?

Every NHS appointment is valuable. When an appointment is missed without notice (known as a Did Not Attend or DNA), that time cannot be reused and another patient loses the opportunity to be seen. At Rudgwick Medical Centre, in the last 90 days we had 86 DNA appointments. With each appointment lasting around 10 minutes, this results in approximately 14 clinical hours of lost time that could have been spent caring for patients who are waiting for appointments.

 How You Can Help:

You can help us protect NHS time and improve access to care by:

·         Attending your appointment whenever possible

·         Cancelling as early as you can if you’re unable to attend - even cancelling on the day helps

·         Rebooking promptly if you still need to be seen

 

 Transport to and from Rudgwick Medical Centre or local Hospitals

Lifeline is a service run by Volunteers to transport you to and from medical appointments for those who are in need. The Volunteers give their time freely but appreciate donations towards parking costs and petrol.

To access the service, please call 07845 948014.

This is not a replacement for local taxi companies.

 

Opening Hours over the Easter Period:

Please ensure you leave plenty of time before the bank holidays to order and collect your medications.

 

Dates for your diary

3rd April – Good Friday- closed

6th April – Easter Monday- closed

28th April 12:30 – 18:30 – closed for Staff Training

4th May all day – closed

25th May all day – closed

 

 

Thank you for helping us support the care of our whole community

 


Published on 2nd Mar 2026

Airmid for communication with our patients

Airmid for communication with our Patients

We are pleased to inform our patients that the surgery will be using Airmid as one of our main ways to communicate with you. Airmid is a secure, NHS-approved app designed to make it easier for patients to stay connected with their healthcare team. Through Airmid, we can send important messages, appointment updates, reminders, and relevant health information directly to your mobile phone. You can access Airmid by downloading the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Once downloaded, you will need to register using your NHS number or personal details, which allows the app to securely link to your GP record. Support and guidance are available within the app to help you get started. 

We highly recommend that you use Airmid if you do not already. 


Published on 5th Jan 2026

Change of platform for electronic consultations

From the week commencing 29th December we will be switching to a new online consultation system called SystmConnect to replace eConsult.

SystmConnect is a total triage service, meaning all your needs can be submitted to the surgery via an online form. SystmConnect is created by the team behind our clinical system, TPP SystmOne, and is integrated with your health record, enabling us to manage patient requests more efficiently and safely. It is straightforward to use; the online forms will guide you through a short series of questions to help ensure your request is directed to the most appropriate member of the team. All medical forms will be reviewed by a GP who will determine the most appropriate outcome you need; for example, an appointment with a GP or other clinician, or signposting to other services.

Anything you might usually call us with, or come to reception to discuss, can be done using SystmConnect, including:

  • general medical advice for new or on-going health concerns;
  • booking a routine or urgent appointment;
  • requesting a prescription;
  • notifying us of changes to your treatment or medication;
  • following up test results;
  • following up requests for private work such as letters from the doctor or medical reports;
  • flu and other vaccination queries;
  • adult and child travel vaccination queries;
  • wound care and dressings;
  • requesting a fit (sick) note; and
  • any other administrative or clinical enquiries.


If you already have a SystmOnline account, you can access SystmConnect once you have logged-in to your SystmOnline account. After we have launched SystmConnect, look towards the bottom left side of the page for ‘Online Consultations’ and click on ‘Launch SystmConnect’ once you have logged-in. Accessing SystmConnect this way will allow the software to pre-populate some of your demographic data, name and address etc. You can also use your NHS App login.

If you are unable to use SystmConnect our Care Navigators can continue to help you.

How Does It Work?

Most forms are brief and will ask:

  • what your query is about;
  • what action you would like;
  • your preference for who, when, or how you would like your problem to be managed; and
  • you may be invited to submit photographs if relevant.

Some specific conditions might have a longer form, asking more questions. This is so we can gather as much information from you before the GP assesses your form, which will lead to the most appropriate and efficient outcome for you. Please do answer all the questions and give as much information as you can.

Each request will be reviewed by an experienced GP who will determine which member of the healthcare team is best placed to help you. In addition to GP appointments, you may be directed to another clinician within the practice or to a local pharmacy, where appropriate.

A short video showing how SystmConnect looks, and an explanation on how to submit forms is below:

 

 


Published on 22nd Dec 2025

LATEST INFORMATION ON TIRZEPATIDE (MOUNJARO) FOR WEIGHT LOSS SUPPORT

NHS Sussex ICB have published their position on Weight loss injections being prescribed on the NHS. 

Current rules on prescribing on NHS for weight loss medications from the GP are very strict, please do not contact the surgery requesting appointment for weight loss INJECTIONS medications from your GP. You will be contacted directly if you are eligible for direct access to them in the next 4-6 weeks. 

Qualifying criteria is a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 40 or greater

https://www.nhs.uk/health-assessment-tools/calculate-your-body-mass-index/calculate-bmi-for-adults/confirm-consent

AND four or more of the following diagnosed health conditions:

• type 2 diabetes

• Hypertension

• Cardiovascular disease

• Obstructive sleep apnoea

• Dyslipidaemia

 

We understand that some people may feel frustrated or disappointed if they are not eligible for INJECTION medication-based treatments directly from the GP but there are still other options avalible and we can offer support and help still.

Our local wellbeing hub can offer you the other options that must be tried 1st before considering Injections and other medication options.  please see our wellbeing hub

https://horsham.westsussexwellbeing.org.uk/

For further support to manage your weight please also click here Support to manage your weight  

 


Published on 26th Jun 2025

Working with InHealth to provide the Lung Cancer Screening Programme for patients between 55-74 years of age a current or former smoker

We are working with InHealth to provide the Lung Cancer Screening Programme for patients aged between 55-74 years of age, a current or former smoker.  We want to reassure you that this is not a scam. InHealth are working alongside the NHS to encourage patients aged 55 to 74 to have their lungs checked. 

For further information please visit www.sussexlunghealthcheck.nhs.uk 

No immediate action is required, please note this is not a scam and to follow up direct with InHealth if or when they reach out to you.

The process will be:

·         Patients aged 55-74 years, a current or former smoker and registered with a GP, will receive an invite letter through the post in a yellow envelope from the NHS. This Is not a self-referral programme and they will be invited for their lung health check by letter.

·         Patients will be called by a patient care advisor within 14 days to complete an assessment over the telephone, which will take approximately 15 minutes.

·         During the telephone call patients will be asked questions about their overall lung health, lifestyle, family, and medical history.

·         Patients may then be invited to have a lung CT scan. 

·         Scans take place on mobile vans in community locations (Tesco Car Park, Broadbridge Heath)

·         Patient results will be sent by letter and if a follow up is needed the team will contact the patient to talk to them about what the next steps are. The TLHC programme in Sussex is being supported by the Brighton & Hove GP Federation.

·         If patients lungs are fine, they will be offered another health check in 2 years to see whether anything has changed.

The mobile screening unit will be situated in the Tesco extra Car Park at Broadridge Heath, Horsham.


Published on 16th Jun 2025

Page last reviewed: 02 March 2026
Page created: 11 June 2024