Practice News

Information in patient records is important for medical research to develop new treatments and test the safety of medicines.  This practice supports medical research by sending some of the information from patient records to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)

CPRD data services from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency provide anonymised patient data for research to improve patient and public health.  No information that can directly identify you is sent to the CPRD.  Limited identifiable information relating to you (your NHS number, sex, date of birth and residence postcode) is sent directly to NHS England to enable data linkage.

If you do not want anonymised information from your patient records to be used in research, you can register your choice to opt out.

Visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters or contact the National Data Opt-out helpline on 0300 303 5678

30th June 2026 - A new version of the practice's Patient Privacy Policy is now available on our website.  This contains the updated certificate for the practice meeting 'standards met' on the NHS Data Protection and Security Toolkit.

Introducing our new Patient Portal

The practice has started to use a new clinical system called Abtrace, which includes access to a Patient Portal.

This will give you a safe and convenient way to manage your healthcare online, at a time that suits you.

We are starting to use Abtrace to send invites to patients for health checks and annual reviews.

Patients may already have started to receive messages from GPSURGERY.

New Online Self-Service Portal

We’re pleased to let you know that a new online self-service portal will be launching on 7th July.

This new system has been developed in response to feedback from our patients, making it quicker and more convenient to book appointments, send in medical questions, perform admin tasks and much more at a time that suits you.

From 7th July, you’ll be able to access the self-service portal via our website.

Thank you for your valuable feedback, which has helped shape this improvement to our services.

We are making a small change to how we invite patients for routine health checks and annual reviews.

Until now, many patients have been invited for their review during their birthday month. We will be moving away from this system.

What’s changing?

We will now invite patients for reviews and health checks based on individual clinical need, rather than a fixed birthday month. This means:

• Patients will be seen at the right time, based on their health needs
• Appointments will be offered with the most appropriate clinician
• We can better follow current clinical guidelines and provide safer, more timely care

To support this, we will be using a digital tool that helps us monitor when reviews or checks are due.

Can I still book in my birthday month?

Yes.
If you usually have an annual review or health check and prefer to book it during your birthday month, you can still do so. Just contact the practice in the usual way to arrange your appointment.

What does this mean for you?

• You may be contacted at a different time of year than before
• You will not miss out on any reviews or checks you are entitled to
• The change helps us prioritise patients who may need to be seen sooner

Thank you for your understanding and support.

14th April 2026 - A new version of the practice's Patient Privacy Policy is now available on our website, which has updated information relating to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for recall management.

Update 14th August 2025

NHS England, supported by PCSE, may send messages to patients to confirm their home address. This is part of their regular list maintenance activities.  Click for more information

30th June 2025 - A new version of the practice's Patient Privacy Policy is now available on our website, which has updated information relating to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for administrative tasks .

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. 

Click for more information.

Update for patients of Darwin Medical Practice - April 2025

Click for more information.

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.

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

Click below to learn more

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.

Click below for more information

We wanted to advise our patients that NHS England will be changing the way communications are sent to you. 

Click below for more information

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