January 2026 Newsletter

Posted on January 21st, 2026

A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

The severe weather caused lots of problems during the first week of the year, with roads and pavements making movement, either by car or on foot very dangerous, and the cold exacerbating health issues.  Many of our patients have had to cancel appointments and some blood tests may have to be repeated due to the fact that the blood collection vans which transport samples for testing at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary were unable to do the usual pick ups.  Please be aware that if you are affected by this, our staff will be in touch to rearrange for another sample to be taken.

In times of bad weather we should all be mindful of neighbours or acquaintances who may be housebound /vulnerable and offer any assistance we can.  Further advice can be found by clicking on the following link or typing the words below into your browser:

Prepare for winter | NHS inform

NEW YEAR = NEW YOU!

The New Year is a great time for resolutions and for making small changes to your life which will have a positive impact on both your physical and mental health.  Taking a little more regular exercise can pay huge dividends to your health as can small changes to your diet.  It can be difficult to make these changes during the long dark winter days, but there are a lot of tips available on the NHS Grampian website (click on the link below) or feel free to ask our team here at the health centre.  Alternatively, you can contact the Grampian Healthpoint team by calling the free healthline on 08085 202030 or by sending an e-mail to gram.healthpoint@nhs.scot  Help is available via this source on a wide range of health issues, including diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol issues.

Healthy Living

YOUR HEART MATTERS#

Have you received a phone call or text message from us recently to attend a health check to test for risk factors that might lead to Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)?  You might be wondering why, especially if you feel fine.

You are eligible for these checks if you are between the ages of 35-60, if you meet the certain criteria which may put you at risk of CVD, and you have not had a full range of checks in the last 3 years.

Click to watch the video below to find out why it is important to attend and book your appointment today.

NHS Grampian CVD Animation

CHANGES IN THE KEITH HEALTH CENTRE TEAM

DOCTORS:  For those who have visited the surgery recently, you may be aware that there have been some changes in both medical and administrative staff over the past year.  Dr Louisa Brown retired at the end of November after a career spanning 35 years as a doctor, 11 of these as a GP Partner at Keith Health Centre.  She will be sorely missed by her colleagues and the patients she has treated over the past decade in the local community.  We wish her every happiness in her new life!

We have been very fortunate in finding a replacement – Dr Maddy Colmar will join the team as a salaried GP at the beginning of February.   Dr Colmar is relocating from the Lothian area and will work 3 days a week at the practice.  We are very much looking forward to welcoming her to the practice.

GP TRAINEES:  Keith Health Centre is a training practice, supporting doctors who have decided to further their career in medicine in General Practice (GP).  Dr Phoebe Chappell is currently in her first year of a 3 year training programme in GP.  She has been with us since August and will leave at the beginning of February to continue the training in a hospital rotation.  She will return in Year 3.  In her place, we will welcome back Dr Monsurat Salami who is in her final year of training and will remain with us for 12 months.  Trainee GPs are allocated a supervisor who assists and oversees their work, even though they are already fully qualified doctors in their own right.

ADMIN TEAM:  In the latter part of 2025 we recruited 2 new administrators to boost the administration team, which has an increasing workload and ever more responsibility.  Rachel and Sam have both worked in GP practices before and have already proved themselves to be an asset to the team.

Pharmacy First Plus Service

Many of you will be aware that both Clarks and Bairds pharmacies now offer a Pharmacy First Plus service, an enhanced service enabling pharmacists holding a prescribing qualification to offer advice and medication – free of charge- for a wide range of conditions, without the need to attend the GP surgery.  This is a service being offered all over Scotland, although not all pharmacies are qualified to do this.   To access this service you are advised to phone either Clarks or Bairds before attending, so that you can be allocated an appointment time.

The conditions they can deal with are as follows:  chesty coughs/bronchitis, ear pain/fungal ear infection, sore throat (test for Strep A), acute tonsillitis, UTIs (in both men and women).  Alternative antibiotics can be given if allergic to Trimethoprim.  They can also deal with skin infections (animal bites/acne/Impetigo/shingles), wound checks, migraine, oral thrush, and acute sinusitis.

The prescribing pharmacists can issue antibiotics and other medication where necessary.  Please be assured, however, that the surgery works very closely with both pharmacies in Keith and they contact us directly if they have a query or If they feel that your condition needs further assessment. Click the links below for further information.

Pharmacies | NHS Inform

nhs-pharmacy-first-scotland-information-patients.pdf