News

FIT JACKS – EXERCISE AND WELLBEING SESSIONS

Would you like to become more active, improve your health and make healthier lifestyle choices?

Swansea City AFC Foundation are offering a range of free exercise and wellbeing sessions to support people in the local community.

FIT JACKS – 12-Week Health and Wellbeing Programme:

FIT JACKS is a free 12-week health and wellbeing programme, combining information about healthier choices with weekly fitness sessions.

Sessions are suitable for different fitness levels and are supported by Swansea City AFC Foundation staff throughout the programme.

Is FIT JACKS for you?

The programme is available to adults who:

• Are aged 30–70
• Have a BMI of 28 or above
• Have a waist measurement of more than 38 inches for males or 31 inches for females

Places are limited, so early registration is recommended.

Seated Exercise Class:

Swansea City AFC Foundation are also offering a free seated exercise class, providing strength and balance sessions for adults living with long-term health conditions.

Sessions take place:

• Every Thursday
• 1pm–2pm
• Swansea.com Stadium

The session is free to attend

Please see both flyers below for further information.

Flu / Covid Vaccinations

We now have the Flu & Covid clinics running at both surgeries.

Eligible patients will be contacted with a reminder to book their seasonal vaccination.

These can be booked via the NHS Wales app or by contacting the surgery.

The Electronic Prescription Service, also known as EPS, will be starting at the surgery on 15th September 2026.

The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is helping the NHS improve patient care by making the move from paper processes to a digital service.

EPS is a way of digitally signing and managing patient prescriptions. Instead of printing and signing paper prescriptions, staff at your GP practice can send them directly to the pharmacy or dispenser you choose.

Please sign up with your local pharmacy before your prescription is due to avoid any delay in prescribing.

• No need to collect a paper prescription, as it is sent directly to your pharmacy.
• More convenient for repeat prescriptions.
• Safer and more reliable, as electronic prescriptions are tracked.
• Faster and more efficient for GP and pharmacy teams.
• Better for the environment by reducing paper use.

You can find more information about how EPS works and its rollout across Wales on the Digital Health and Care Wales website. CLICK HERE

New AI Telephony System

We are delighted to announce that, from September, we will be introducing a new AI-powered telephone service to help make it easier and more convenient for you to access some of our services.

What does this mean for you?

Our new AI telephone service will allow you to:

• Order repeat prescriptions by telephone — something we are currently unable to offer.
• Obtain your test results simply by calling and asking our AI service for them.
• Access these services quickly and conveniently, without the need to speak to a member of our reception team.

We are committed to continually improving and streamlining your experience with us. By embracing modern technology, we hope to make accessing our services simpler, quicker and more convenient for all our patients.

Further information about how to use the new service will be provided ahead of its launch in September.

Thank you for your continued support as we introduce this exciting new service.

Women’s Health & Support

Sorted Supported provides a dedicated women’s health hub bringing together useful information, self-help advice and details of local, regional and national support.

The hub includes information about:

• Pregnancy and preparing for pregnancy
• Newborn babies, breastfeeding, weaning and parenting
• Periods and menstrual health
• Endometriosis and adenomyosis
• Sexual health, contraception and abortion care
• Pelvic health, bladder and bowel problems and incontinence
• Menopause
• Violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence
• Healthy ageing and managing long-term health conditions

Women’s Health – SortedSupported

Improving care for people with chronic kidney disease

This year, our practice is taking part in a Wales-wide project to improve the identification and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

CKD is a common condition in which the kidneys do not work as well as they should. It often causes no symptoms in its early stages, but simple blood and urine tests can help us identify it.

As part of this work, we may contact some patients to arrange:

• A blood test to check kidney function
• A urine test to look for protein
• A blood pressure or medication review

We will also review whether patients could benefit from medicines that help protect the kidneys and heart.

Please respond if we contact you for tests or a review. Finding and treating CKD early can help keep your kidneys healthier for longer and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Heat Wave

During the current heatwave that is expected to last from Wednesday 24th June 2026 to Friday 26th June 2026, the NHS have an information sheet on how to stay safe during a heatwave – you can view this by clicking HERE

Prescriptions

Please note; Once a prescription request has been received to our prescription email address, NHS Wales app or in person (we do not issue prescription requests over the telephone) The prescription will be ready for collection in 72 hours.

Please ensure you order your medication in time to allow 72 hours for processing.

BHF and Joint British Societies’ Guideline on the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

BHF is proud to lead a UK-wide partnership comprising of 10 professional societies, 5 charities and key stakeholders. The project is now underway and aims to deliver the UK’s first ‘living’ clinical guideline for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

This forward-thinking guideline will leverage advanced digital platforms and methodologies to allow for rapid integration of emerging evidence. This will ensure that our guidance remains consistently relevant.

You can read the full guideline HERE

Meningitis Vaccination Update

Meningitis B (MenB) Vaccine

MenACWY Vaccine

Further Information

 

Blood Results

If you wish to have a copy of your blood test results, please register for “patient knows best” you will have access to your blood test results, alternatively you can click HERE and this will take you directly to the site.

 

AI Transcription Service

St Thomas and West Cross Medical Centres are currently trialling a new software called Heidi Health AI to help our clinicians in their clinics.

If you do not wish for this to be used in your appointment, please make the clinician aware.

What is Heidi Health?

Heidi AI is an advanced AI medical scribe designed to transcribe patient visits, generate clinical notes, fill out documents, and dictate letters.  This tool allows the clinician to focus more on you, the patient, rather than on typing and administrative tasks.

Heidi AI has been approved by NHS as it adheres to stringent UK compliance frameworks, including the Data Protection Act, GDPR, and NHS standards such as DCB0129, DTAC, and DSPT.  This ensures that your personal information is handled securely and confidentially.

Benefits of Using Heidi Health

1. Enhanced Focus on Patient Care: By automating the documentation process, Heidi Health allows us to spend more time interacting with you, improving the quality of care and communication during consultations.
2. Efficiency and Accuracy: The AI scribe ensures that all details of your visit are accurately recorded, reducing the risk of errors and omissions in your medical records.
3. Streamlined Workflow: Heidi Health helps in managing various administrative tasks such as generating patient summaries, filling out forms, and creating letters, making our workflow more efficient.

How Your Data is Managed

1. Data Security and Privacy: Heidi Health adheres to stringent UK compliance frameworks, including the Data Protection Act, GDPR, and NHS standards such as DCB0129, DTAC, and DSPT. This ensures that your personal information is handled securely and confidentially.
2. Local Data Hosting: All data is hosted within the UK, enhancing security and compliance with local data protection regulations.
3. Temporary Data Storage: Audio recordings used for generating notes are not stored permanently. They are processed and then deleted, ensuring your data remains private and secure.

Swansea Bay Patient Portal

Do you want access to your health information at your fingertips? Manage your healthcare from the comfort of your own home? Get a range of blood test results sent directly to your own smartphone, laptop, tablet or PC, along with your appointment letters and more? The Swansea Bay Patient Portal (powered by Patients Know Best) is a secure online service which gives you access to your health information, and it’s convenient – you can access it anytime and anywhere.

You can also share some or all of your health information with family members, carers or other health care professionals who need to see it.

Once you sign up to the Swansea Bay Patient Portal, you’ll begin to have a wide range of clinical information and resources to support your health and wellbeing – all available on your own device.

Please click Here to sign up.

Important Update: Moving to 2-Month Prescriptions

From May 2025, we will begin switching eligible patients from 28-day prescriptions to 56-day (2-month) prescriptions.

This change follows guidance from the Welsh Government and aims to:

• Reduce the number of trips you need to make to the practice or pharmacy
• Free up time for GPs and pharmacists to focus on patient care
• Help improve convenience and medication adherence
• Support a greener NHS with fewer deliveries and collections

Most patients on regular, stable medication will be eligible. However, some prescriptions will stay on 28 days, including:

• Medications that need close monitoring (e.g. warfarin, methotrexate)
• Controlled drugs
• Patients using dosette boxes (blister packs) or MAR charts
• Any medication requiring special handling or storage
• Cases where your GP feels it’s safer to remain on monthly prescriptions

You do not need to do anything. If you are eligible, your prescription will be adjusted at your next review or when you request it.

If you have questions, please speak to our team or your pharmacist.

ASK MY GP

From Friday 20th December 2024, AskMy GP will no longer be available.

We will be moving to a new system in the new year.

RSV Vaccinations

We will be contacting eligible patients during August & September for their RSV Vaccination.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the common viruses causing coughs and colds in winter. Globally RSV infects up to 90% of children within the first two years of life and frequently reinfects older children and adults. Babies under one year old and the elderly are at the greatest risk of being hospitalised.

Communication will come via text message to eligible patients – please check that we have your correct number.

Shingles Vaccinations are now due.

The following patients are eligible:

• If you are aged 65
• If you are aged 70
• If you are aged 50+ and have certain medical conditions

Please contact the surgery if you believe that you are eligible for the shingles vaccination.

Communication

From Monday 1st July 2024 St Thomas and West Cross Surgery are changing the way that we communicate with our patients.

We will be introducing text message and Email communication as a preferred method of contact for a modern, effective and carbon footprint reducing method of communication.

If you would like to opt out of receiving text messages or emails, please contact the surgery.

From March 2024 We are moving to the NHS Wales app between 13^th – 14^th March 2024.

Since April 2023 the NHS Wales App has been available to download for Android and iOS users, but patients must wait until their practice is connected to it before they can take full advantage of all its features. The aim is for all practices to be connected by the end of March 2024 to allow a fair and equitable service to all patients in Wales that wish to use it. The services are also website friendly and can be accessed via Login screen (nhs.wales)