Slaughterford Road | Whitehead | Carrickfergus | BT38 9TG

Practice Newsletter: April 2026

See what's happening in April 2026...

There is a wealth of information in our Monthly Newsletters. Click below to download our full Newsletter for this month….

Bank Holiday Closure: Easter 2026

The surgery will be closed on the following dates:

  • Monday 06 April 2026
  • Tuesday 07 April 2026
  • We will reopen on Wednesday 08 April at 8.30am.

Please allow 72 working hours to order your repeat prescription requests, bearing this in mind. For any urgent medical issues please  contact Dalriada urgent care on 0300 123 1123

For more information, please download our full Newsletter…

Latest News/Update: April 2026

EMIS

In the next few months the Practice will be beginning to make plans and preparing to migrate from our current clinical system ‘VISION’ to a new clinical system being rolled out in N Ireland called ‘EMIS Web VDI’. Our go live date is  currently scheduled for 12 May 2026. 

Patient Consent

Anyone over the age of 16 requires written consent to allow a friend or family member access to their medical records. You can find a patient consent form on your website or collect one at reception.

Registration

For any new patients registering with Meadowbridge, please source an ‘encounter  report’ – a brief summary of care from your previous surgery to bring  with you when registering.

Reminder: Online Patient Services

When using the online patient services to add a triage message, this is simply your message being added to a call back list – it will automatically generate a time  but this is not an appointment time. A member of staff will be in touch via  telephone.

Prescription Requests

Please allow 72 working hours for prescription requests to be available to collect at your nominated chemist.

For more information, please download our full Newsletter…

Feedback: Thank you

We were delighted to receive some very kind feedback from one of our patients regarding our Advnced Nurse Practitioner, Gillian:

‘My daughter was unwell. I rang the heath centre and I was offered an appointment with Gillian, who was excellent with my daughter and appropriate  treatment was prescribed. Within one hour I had rang, been seen and was at the  chemist getting her much needed medication. Thank you so much for this speedy  treatment’

Find out more, download our Newsletter

Asthma Information from our Practice Nurse, Lynn

Lynn Martin, our Practice Nurse has provided some information below regarding  Asthma, which can be particularly problematic during the change of season..

Do you have asthma?

  • Did you know that the frequency with which you need your blue inhaler indicates  how well / poorly controlled your asthma is?
  • Are you needing more than 1 blue inhaler per year? If so this means
    your asthma is not well controlled

If you are having the following symptoms :

  • chest tightness
  • shortness of breath
  • wheeze or cough every week

then your asthma medication may need changed.

Find out more, download our Newsletter

Alcohol Awareness Information from our HCA Julie

Julie Weir, our Health Care Assistant has provided some information regarding Alcohol Awareness

Realising you have a problem with alcohol is the first big step to getting help. In  the UK, it is recommended that both men & women drink no more than 14  units of alcohol per week, spread over three or more days, with several alcohol-free days.

Find out more, download our Newsletter

Meadowbridge Surgery Online

Practice Website Views: 3,700
Newsletter Subscriptions in March 2026: 19
Total Newsletter Subscriptions: 884

Find out more, download our Newsletter

MBS Workload Statistics: March 2026

An outlook of work output throughout the month of March 2026 by all Practice Staff:

Telephone Statistics:

  • 21,371 Incoming telephone calls to the Practice
  • 2 minutes 28 seconds average patient wait time once in the queue

Daily Triage Areas:

  • 18 patient home visits by a GP
  • 3,850 Face to Face appointments
  • 2,600 triage call back to patients

Appointments Booked and Not Attended:

  • 115 – these are appointments that have been booked and the patient did not attend. The appointment was not refilled and therefore wasted.

Administration Tasks:

  • 2,542 Hospital letters actioned by Practice Staff
  • 17,395 General admin tasks by Clinical and Admin Team
  • 6,276 Prescriptions issued
  • 2,603 Patient results reviewed

For more information, please download our full Newsletter…

World Parkinsons Day 2026: 11 April

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition. 

People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of the chemical dopamine in their brain because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working. Around 166,000 people live with Parkinson’s in the UK. Parkinson’s is on the  ise. In the UK today, someone is diagnosed every 20 minutes. By 2050, the  number of people with Parkinson’s worldwide will double to 25 million.

For more information, please download our full Newsletter…

Allergy Awareness Week 2026: 22 - 28 April

Allergy Awareness Week in 2026 will take place from April 22 to April 28, focusing on raising awareness about allergies and their impact on individuals’  lives.

What is an allergy?

An allergy is a reaction your body has to a particular food or substance. Whilst  in most people these substances pose no problem, for allergic individuals their immune system identifies them as a threat. As a result, the body can produce a response to try and combat the supposed threat. This can range from something minor such as itching to something much more severe and life-threatening, like anaphylaxis. Allergies are more common in children, but they  can persist into adulthood too.

For more information, please download our full Newsletter…

World Immunisation Week 2026: 24 - 30 April

World Immunization Week, celebrated in the last week of April, aims to promote the life-saving power of immunization to protect people of all ages  against vaccine-preventable diseases.

Vaccines have long been one of the most powerful tools in public health. Over the last 50 years, vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives – not by accident, but because ordinary people made the decision to protect themselves, their children and one another. That’s 6 lives every minute, every day, for five decades.

For more information, please download our full Newsletter…

MS Awareness Week 2026: 28 April to 4 May

What is MS?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that affects nerves in your central nervous system. That’s your brain and spinal cord. In MS, the coating (called  myelin) that protects your nerves is damaged. This causes a range of symptoms  like blurred vision and problems with how we move, think and feel.

Once diagnosed, MS stays with you for life, but treatments and specialists can  help you to manage the condition and its symptoms.

For more information, please download our full Newsletter…

Bowel Cancer Awareness Month: April 2026

Bowel cancer can affect anyone, but risk increases with age, particularly from 50  onwards. However, younger adults are also being diagnosed more frequently,  making widespread awareness critical for all age groups.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of  cancer deaths in many countries. Yet, when diagnosed early, more than 90% of  bowel cancer cases can be treated successfully. Raising awareness helps dispel  myths, reduce stigma around discussing bowel habits, and empowers people to  seek help sooner.

For more information, please download our full Newsletter…

Stress Awareness Month: April 2026

Stress Awareness Month 2026 is observed throughout April

Focusing on the theme ‘Be the Change’ to encourage proactive stress management and mental wellness. Stress Awareness Month, observed every  April since 1992, is a crucial initiative aimed at raising public awareness about  the causes, effects, and management of stress. In our increasingly fast-paced  world, stress has become a common part of everyday life, yet it remains a topic  often overlooked or misunderstood. Stress Awareness Month provides an  important opportunity to break the stigma around mental health, promote stress management strategies, and encourage healthier, more resilient lifestyles.

For more information, please download our full Newsletter…

World Autism Acceptance Month: April 2026

World Autism Acceptance Month is an opportunity for everyone to come together and raise awareness, acceptance, and create a society where autistic  people are supported and understood. Whether you’re at home, at school, or at  work, your involvement can make a real difference. It’s about how you show up, whether you’re supporting your autistic colleagues, students, or family  members, your actions can help create an inclusive and accepting world.

Join us in April 2026, help us change attitudes towards autism. Your support  can help create a world that works for autistic people and their families.

For more information, please download our full Newsletter…

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