26th April 2018
A women’s health event run by a GP practice in Woodley is already paying dividends in encouraging patients to take up all of their cancer screening offers.
Alvanley Family Practice have track record in improving their patients’ health by running community events.
But the women’s health night, held at Woodley’s top community hub Startpoint earlier this month, has proved more successful than they’d even hoped.
The event was born out of a conversation with several of Alvanley’s female patients on the practice’s Facebook page.
It’s aim was to raise awareness of women’s cancers but also to tackle the myths and fears surrounding the smear test and mammograms.
The surgery’s award winning practice nurse Katherine Parker was on hand to give a clinician’s perspective and three Alvanley patients and another member of the community, who had been diagnosed with cancer, shared their experiences.
Those who attended were also asked to make a health pledge – like booking their smear test in or regularly checking their breasts – on a postcard and hand them in before they left.
The practice manager Kay Keane plans to send the postcards back to each of them in a months’ time to remind them of their individual pledge.
But already patients from the night have been booking in for their smear just, as promised.
After the success of the evening, the practice plans to hold a series of events and is running a poll on Facebook to pick the topics up for discussion.
Kay added “It was a fun event but it had a vital message behind it. Everyone who came was inspired by at as were all the practice staff who went.
“The comments we got from our patients about it were amazing and it’s given us the impetus to do more.”
If you’re a patient and want to suggest a topic for future events then contact the practice directly or use their Facebook page www.facebook.com/alvanleyfamilypractice or their Twitter account #Alvanleyfp