http://www.swindonlink.org Swindon LINk What we're working on Reason Digital Feed maker on CMS Made Simple matt@reasondigital.com ( ) http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=GP practices For many of us GP practices are the first and only contact we have with the National Health Service. There are 27 GP practices in the Borough of Swindon that serve nearly 220,000 of us. This section is devoted to news and your views about them. Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:41:20 +0000 http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=GP practices http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Great Western Hospital For people in Swindon, and many in Wiltshire, the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust simply means the local hospital. For others across Wiltshire and parts of Bath and North East Somerset it now also means community health and maternity services. It's a crucial part of our local fabric and ensuring services are to the necessary standards of quality relies in part on you giving feedback and ideas about the service. Here is a good place to do that. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 13:11:46 +0000 http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Great Western Hospital http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Complementary and Alternative Medicine The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine defines Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as "a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices, and products, that are not currently part of conventional medicine." The breadth of this grouping is wide: it covers both osteopathy and biofield therapies for example. Locally NHS Swindon does not normally fund CAMS, though some suggest they should. See below for the latest news and don't forget to add your comments. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 13:10:44 +0000 http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Complementary and Alternative Medicine http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Patient medical records The Government commissioned report states that patients should be allowed to view their whole medical history, study the results of diagnostic tests and see which drugs they have been prescribed. Ministers have already backed the idea. Patients can currently access their records, but have to apply for access and provide a legitimate reason. What do you think? Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:30:46 +0000 http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Patient medical records http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Dentists The idea of going to the dentist is not a happy one for many people. However, it is recommended that we go every 6 months in order to maintain healthy teeth and gums. Here in Swindon we always have at least five NHS dentists that will accept new patients, and in this section of the website we publish this list every month. We have done a lot of research about dentistry in the past year, but we still want to hear your thoughts and experiences of Swindon dentists. Tell us below. Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:56:08 +0100 http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Dentists http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Nutrition Nutrition is a crucial part of everybody's lives. If we get this right it can keep us fit and healthy. If we get it wrong the implications for our health can be serious. Health and social care providers - e.g. care homes and hospitals - have a duty to meet essential standards of nutrition for their users. What are your experiences of these? What do you think about the topic in general? Tell us below. Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:42:37 +0100 http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Nutrition http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Pharmacies Pharmacies are a very important part of how we access health care in Swindon, so it is vitally important that we inform decision makers what we expect and want from them. Locally, prescriptions cost £30 million a year: a significant part of NHS Swindon's annual budget. Tell us what you think of existing services and what you want in the future. Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:42:07 +0100 http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Pharmacies http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Carfax Health Enterprise Carfax Health Enterprise provides GP and nurse services on a walk-in and booking basis for both registered and unregistered patients. It aims to be as accessible as possible and is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. LINk participants meet with the management of Carfax Health Enterprise every two months and give their opinions, thoughts and ideas directly to them. We know many people use its services so we want to hear what you think; what is good and what is not so good. Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:41:50 +0100 http://swindonlink.org/working-issue/?issue=Carfax Health Enterprise