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Parkbury House Newsletter

Spring 2026

eConsult

The practice is committed to improving the patients’ experience and recognises that whilst there has been much positive feedback, some patients have had difficulty in accessing eConsult. At our January meeting of the Patient Participation Group, it was thought that it would be a good idea to present a video on the workings of it, featuring members of the practice and put it onto YouTube, as a guide. The practice agreed to consider this along with other initiatives to improve patient experience and understanding.

Research Award

Thanks to the hard work of one of our doctors, Dr. Hannah Gale, Parkbury House has also secured through a bid a NIHR Capital Investment award. This will allow us to refurbish a clinical room and create a sample processing space so that we can develop our clinical research capabilities. The investment will benefit our patients by expanding opportunities for research participation for people living in St Albans.

New website

The new website is now live

Green Impact

We are proud to say that we were successful in our bid for the Silver Award, we now strive for Gold

With the NHS attempting to deliver the world's first Net Zero health service, we understand our role, as a general practice, in helping to reach those sustainability goals. As an organisation we declare a climate emergency, as such we are willing to set ambitious emissions’ reduction targets, disrupt unsustainable processes and routines, raise awareness of sustainable behaviours throughout our staff and patients, and prioritise climate action. We, as a practise, are committed to our ‘Green Plan of Action’ which has been made in response to the identification of energy hotspots and environmentally damaging areas and now move towards decarbonisation, waste reduction and carbon literacy. We took the decision to take meaningful action to mitigate and adapt to climate change and better embed sustainability within the practice’s culture. For more information, please follow this link:

Greener Practice: Sustainability in general practice

One important aspect of our Green Impact is travel. I thought I would share with you some of the detail involved. Travel remains an important hotspot in terms of contributing to the practice carbon footprint. In order to better understand its impact, a staff travel audit was conducted, which investigated the mode of transport used for staff commutes, along with the distance travelled and the weekly working pattern of staff members. Of those who completed the survey, a considerable proportion travel in from over 5 miles away. The estimated total annual carbon emissions of the 52 staff who completed the survey correctly came to 32.5 tonnes CO2e. Possibly as a result more staff members now travel in by bicycle.

Social Prescribing

Many things that affect our health cannot be treated by doctors or medicine alone, like loneliness, isolation or stress due to problems with debt or housing. Social prescribing connects people to non-medical support to address these issues and other unmet needs. This could involve making an appointment to see one of the volunteers at Parkbury House.

We can help someone who is isolated to join a befriending group, an art class or a community gardening project, based on what matters to them. Connecting someone struggling with financial stress to a service that helps with managing debt or claiming benefits. Working with someone with high blood pressure to take up a form of exercise that they’re comfortable with.

Social prescribing involves understanding the complexities of people’s lives and the inequalities they may face. It can help change the circumstances that make people unwell, and empower people to manage existing health problems. It can help people to connect and to grow in confidence. Recently some patients mentioned an interest in reading, reading groups, book clubs but could not always afford to buy the books. I discovered that Marshalswick library have a book club and they offer the books for free! I popped into the library and spoke the manager, Ian Dignum and I asked him what other services they offer, his response is below and it’s all free.

Marshalswick Library

The benefits of Reading and Library Membership

Reading every day can have several benefits: including:

Reduce stress
Help you relax at bedtime, leading to improved sleep quality, improved sleep duration and relieves insomnia
Helps better understand health information
Boosts intelligence
Enhances social skills
Slows cognitive decline as you age

Library membership provides access to reading and a range of other services and activities:

Books, books and books
Digital newspapers and magazines
E-books and e-audio books (great to listen to if you are not a keen reader)
Computers and Printing – get free access to computers in your local library for up to 2 hours. Competitively prices printing.
Studying and Research – access our online reference library at home of in the library
Access to Ancestry and Findmypast with your library membership in the library
Access to Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies
Access to our Performing Arts Library
Home Library Service – for those who are physically unable to make it into the library, a volunteer visit to pick up and drop off books
Slipper swaps – at key times of the year, events to give away new slippers for old, to prevent falls as well as providing important information to keep safe at home. He locations change every year.
Author talks across the county
Create your own Reading Group – and we will reserve the books for your members to pick up for a small annual fee
Reading Well books on prescription, helps you to manage and understand your health by reading books recommended by health professionals

Events for all ages including:

Reading well for mental health
Reading well for teens
Reading well for children
Reading well for dementia

Events – we hold regular and one-off events throughout the year

Coffee Mornings: quizzes, guest speakers, craft activities
Baby Rhyme Time sessions, including coffee mornings for new parents / carers
Storytime and Saturday Stories – stories and activities for toddlers
Reading Group – monthly meeting to discuss the latest book selection

For more information and details about see their website or pop in and see us at Marshalswick Library (The Ridgeway, St Albans)

Library membership is free: We look forward to seeing you.

So much on offer…

Our volunteer social prescribers work every Wednesday morning in the surgery.
Appointments can be booked at Parkbury House through reception
Appointments (45 minutes long) are every Wednesday from 09.30 -12.30

Patient Participation Group

At our most recent meeting, January 16th, the minutes of that are on the practice website:

About the PPG

One of our members, Kathryn, had previously heard that the practice needed a FeNo machine, Kathryn committed herself to walking the equivalent of 6 marathons within the month of January to raise funds for the practice to be able to purchase a FeNo machine. By the end of the month, literally the 31st, she had completed her challenge - with 188.33 miles or 304km which equals more than 7 marathons! A fantastic achievement, the practice thanked her for her magnificent efforts, dedication and commitment in securing funds for the machine for the PH. In the process she has raised more than £5000 for the cause. The practice is in the process of purchasing this equipment.

FeNo: The potential benefits:

Improved accuracy of diagnosis for patients suspected of having asthma;
Improved effectiveness of patient care through better understanding of an individual’s condition;
Improved patient outcomes, reducing the risk of exacerbations and admissions to hospital;
Reduction in inappropriate prescribing, including corticosteroid prescribing.

Published: Mar 4, 2026

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