A View from the Chair – Yvonne Metcalf
Our monthly surgery visit on the 1st September brought no hint of the following day’s news of a new provider being sought to deliver Parkwood’s service. My initial reaction to the news was one of shock but, on reflection, perhaps not surprise as we have all been aware of the many challenges the practice has faced over the last few years, with the lack of a consistent practice manager and staff changes on both a clinical and admin level, alongside changing NHS directives and an increasing demand on services.
That the ICB reached out so quickly to engage with us as your Patient Group gave some reassurance that patient welfare is at the heart of future planning . The message was very clear – the health needs of patients will continue to be met, there will be no imminent change in the delivery of the service and there is no need for panic.
The uncertainty which change brings is, of course, deeply unsettling for everyone, and more especially when we have worries about our health and well-being. I am confident that we have been given as much information as is available at this time, with an undertaking from the ICB to keep us informed as things progress.
Patient groups operate in many different ways across practices. In FPS, we have always valued the very positive collaborative relationship we have had with the practice, and our priority once the new provider is in place is to forge a mutually beneficial relationship where the needs of us all as patients are paramount. It may take time and I appreciate there will be bumps in the road, but I would want to give an assurance that we will work hard to fulfil our commitment to representing the patients of the surgery .
I have been in touch with Dr Kamal and Dr Sunasee. I know this has been a very hard decision for them. On a personal level, I have always had respect for their professional practice, and I wish them well in whatever the future holds.
News from the Surgery
On 2nd September 2026, the partners announced their decision to no longer continue as the contract holders for NHS GP services.
This does not have an impact upon the delivery of NHS services at Parkwood Surgery. Appointments will continue to be available and patients will continue to be able to access services.
On 4th September, a representative from the Integrated Care Board (ICB), the body responsible for NHS services in the local area, met with the chair of Friends of Parkwood Surgery. The ICB is actively seeking to find a new provider for NHS services to replace the outgoing partners. In the first instance, this will be a 12-month contract, to enable time to find a permanent provider.
The ICB was keen that FPS reassured patients that there is no need to find a new surgery or worry about Parkwood Surgery’s ongoing existence; patients should continue to attend appointments and use the surgery for their healthcare needs.
As and when FPS is aware of further information, we will pass this onto patients via our Facebook page and on this website.
What’s been happening with FPS?
Check out the minutes of our meetings
The minutes from FPS’ monthly meetings, including our most recent August meeting, are available here.
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If you wish to unsubscribe from receiving communications about FPS, you will need to contact the surgery to ask for this note to be placed on your file. FPS does not hold any data on patients other than that provided directly by them, such as emails sent to the FPS mailbox
Ready for university?
A new vaccination programme is available to anybody under 25 who is starting a residential university or college course in the UK. The MenB vaccine is now available on top of the ordinary MenACYW which many young people will have received at school.
Young people born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008 are also eligible for this new, 2-dose vaccine.
Find out more and how to access the vaccination here.
One Small Change – An Apple A Day
Why One Small Change?
We usually assume that to improve our health we need to make significant or dramatic changes, such as going to gym, eating expensive superfoods or restricting calories. The problem with big changes is they need buckets of motivation which can be difficult to keep going and it’s why big changes often fail.
The good news is there’s a simpler approach: making small changes that are easy to do, so they’re easy keep doing – and it’s keeping them going that delivers the benefits to our health.
Our articles, written by our secretary Lloanne, show just a few small changes you can try.
An Apple A Day
I recently started eating an apple most days. It felt like the kind of health habit I could actually keep – it didn’t need a new routine, a specialist ingredient or long-term motivation. It’s just one apple, washed, cut into wedges and ready to eat before I sit down for lunch.
The idea was partly inspired by Dr Michael Mosley’s BBC Radio 4 series Just One Thing, where he explored the benefits of “An Apple a Day”. His argument was not that apples are a miracle food – there’s no such thing – but that small, repeatable actions can make healthy living feel more realistic. The research he discussed, and the studies referenced below, suggests that an apple is a small daily support for heart health, gut health and appetite control.
Now, eating an apple with my lunch is a habit I barely think about. I’ve found that I like the crunch, the sweetness and eating something satisfying at the end of the meal. without reaching for a biscuit or something more processed. I don’t miss the crisps, cereal bars or biscuits I used to have, but when I occasionally skip the apple, I notice it — not dramatically, but enough to remind me that small habits can quietly shape the rest of the day.
Why this small habit appealed to me
What I like about the apple-a-day habit is that it’s practical. Apples are affordable, portable and easy to prepare. They provide fibre, water and plant compounds that makes them more than just a convenient snack – whole apples, especially with the skin left on, provide fibre and flavonoids that have been linked in research with cholesterol support, vascular function and anti-inflammatory effects.
Apples are also versatile. Eating them raw provides the most benefit, but you can also cook them: try stewed eating apples with a sprinkle of cinnamon on your porridge!
The research doesn’t prove that one apple will transform anyone’s health overnight, but it does show that apples can be a useful part of a wider healthy pattern, and I can see the improvements in my own health since I started doing this.
Heart health: One of the strongest pieces of supporting evidence comes from a controlled crossover study in which adults with raised cholesterol levels ate two whole apples a day. Compared with a sugar- and energy-matched apple-flavoured drink, the whole apples were associated with lower total and LDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides and improved measures of blood vessel function.
This shows that it’s better to eat whole fruit than fruit juice or a sweetened substitute.
Gut health: Eating an apple a day also helps our gut health, because their fibre can help feed beneficial gut bacteria. The review by Koutsos, Tuohy and Lovegrove highlights the connection between apples, healthy gut microbiota and cardiovascular health.
This shows that it’s getting right combination of nutrients consistently over a period of time and how they interact with the body that delivers health benefits. Apples have a great combination of useful nutrients.
Feeling satisfied: This is the benefit I notice the most. An apple is sweet, crisp and filling without feeling heavy. I feel full, it gives me a clear end point to lunch and I don’t feel the need to graze in the afternoon.
My experience reflects the broader idea that whole fruit is better at regulating appetite than more refined snacks.
Protective plant compounds: I try to eat the apple washed and unpeeled, because many of the useful compounds are found in or near the skin. Different apple varieties contain different amounts of polyphenols, but it’s important to choose apples you enjoy eating – keep them visible and make them easy to eat.
The research I’ve found seems to support the idea of eating an apple a day. The Koutsos study found measurable improvements in cholesterol and vascular markers of the adults in their tests eating whole apples. A later review and detailed analysis by Kim and colleagues looked across 18 randomised controlled trials and concluded that apples and apple-derived products may improve blood cholesterol levels. These findings are not a promise of dramatic results, but they do support apples as a sensible, evidence-backed food to include regularly.
For me, the biggest lesson has been that a small change works best when it feels easy. I don’t have to redesign my diet; I simply add one apple to something I already do. Preparing it before lunch helps, because it removes the tiny bit of friction that might otherwise make me skip it.
If you want to try it, start by eating an apple after lunch, take one to work, slice one into porridge or bake one with cinnamon for a warm dessert. Try it for two weeks and notice what changes. You might snack less, feel more satisfied after meals or find that one healthy choice makes the next one easier. That’s been my experience: not a dramatic transformation, but a small, reliable habit that feels good, fits easily into daily life and is supported by a growing body of research.
References
- Dr Michael Mosley, Just One Thing, “An Apple a Day”, BBC Radio 4, 15 June 2022.
- Koutsos et al., “Two apples a day lower serum cholesterol and improve cardiometabolic biomarkers in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults”, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2020.
- Kim et al., “Metabolic and Cardiovascular Benefits of Apple and Apple-Derived Products: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials”, Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022.
- Koutsos, Tuohy and Lovegrove, “Apples and Cardiovascular Health—Is the Gut Microbiota a Core Consideration?”, Nutrients, 2015.