Darwin Medical Practice

While you are waiting for your hospital appointment or treatment, you can now use the NHS App to get the information you need while you wait to be seen.

A new NHS App feature has been launched for patients to view an estimated waiting time for your hospital treatment. You will know you are on waiting list and how long you may have to wait for treatment.

Update for patients of Darwin Medical Practice - April 2025

Whilst we try hard to maintain as many appointments as possible we have found it really difficult over the last 2-3 months due to the level of sickness that we have experienced.  Whilst funding is challenging the practice has ensured funding for additional Doctors and Nurse Practitioners (locums), however, sometimes we have struggled to provide enough appointments even with the use of multiple additional locums.

We would like to offer our apologies for any frustration or inconvenience the last few weeks have caused.  We are pleased to inform you that our team are all returning to work and that we are in the process of recruiting an additional doctor to help increase the appointments that we can offer.

Whilst this is good news, we are aware that there may be patients who still haven’t had the appointment that they would like and we are therefore providing additional locum sessions during April to try to help us catch up.

We are grateful for your understanding and kind interactions with our Care Navigation team who get the unfortunate task of telling everyone when we have struggled to meet the number of requests for appointments.

Lisa Eales

Business Manager

The Mounjaro weight-loss drug has been approved by NHS England for eligible patients. NHS England has set the criteria for eligibility for the drug; this is a national policy which all NHS prescribers, such as GPs and pharmacists, are required to abide by. The criteria for weight management cannot be changed by prescribers.

Although NHS England has approved the drug, all GPs are waiting for information about how the drug will be provided to eligible patients, when, and for how long. We are also awaiting guidance about how the drug should be used by patients along with other services to support weight management, such as diet and exercise.

Current guidance is that anyone with a BMI of 40 or higher, and with four or more of the qualifying comorbidities (hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes) will be eligible for assessment to identify their suitability for Mounjaro. Anyone not meeting these criteria will not be eligible for assessment in the first year of the drug being available.

More information on local Weight Management services can be found on the ICS webpage: Local Weight Management services - Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, ICS

Pharmacy Emergency Medication Supply

You may be aware that pharmacies have historically been able to provide patients with an emergency supply of medication.  We have been informed that from 1 April 2023 pharmacies will no longer be able to do this unless patients have been referred by 111.  Please try to order your prescriptions a few days before they are due - we ask for 48 hours to process requests but are able to process them much more quickly if they are ordered via the NHS app. 

We’ve been alerted to a scam email targeting Staffordshire residents, asking them to update their details to stay registered with their GP. It directs recipients to install software — this is not legitimate.

There is no official programme (local or national) asking patients to confirm registration via additional software.

GP practices may contact you directly to update your contact details, but this will be done personally using trusted methods like letters, phone calls, or official emails.

How to spot a scam email:

• Check the sender’s email – is it familiar or slightly off?

• Look at the subject line – vague phrases like “Important message” are red flags.

• Review the content – are there errors, missing your name, or pressure tactics?

• Be cautious of links or downloads – verify by contacting your GP directly through trusted methods, not via the suspicious email.

For more advice, visit the Age UK or National Cyber Security Centre websites. Report scams at Action Fraud.

Jhoots opening times St Chads Health Centre

We have been informed that Jhoots Pharmacy at St Chads Health Centre are having to close early sometimes.  You may wish to check their closing times with them if you are considering visiting them later in the day. Unfortunately we are not always aware of the changes to their opening hours in advance. 

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Patients who turn 75 and those age 75 to 79 will be eligible for a free vaccine to protect them from respiratory syncytial virus. 

RSV is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs.  RSV infection often causes symptoms similar to a cold, including: cough, sore throat, sneezing, a runny or blocked nose.

May require hospital admission.

A single dose of vaccine will help to boost protection as you reach an age group at highest risk of serious RSV infection.  Unlike the flu vaccine, you do not need to have the RSV vaccine every year. 

We will also be inviting patients aged 79-80 for their vaccine where required.

More informatin on how to book will be provided by the practice in the upcoming weeks. 

This is separate from the Flu and Covid vaccinations we will offer in October.  It is recommended that the RSV vaccine is not received in the 2 weeks before or after the Flu or Covid vaccinations.