Hereford Medical Group

13/11/2025

Transgender Awareness Week, 13th to 19th November:

Trans Awareness Week helps to raise the visibility of transgender and gender non-conforming people, and addresses the issues the community faces.

Show you’re an ally with these few tips:

Respecting pronouns – use an individual’s chosen pronouns
Listening to trans voices – hear and validate
Learn – Spend time understanding more, such as s*x assigned at birth, gender identity, and gender expression
Read this guide on being a trans ally.

A national charity with LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do.

11/11/2025

REMEMBRANCE DAY 11/11/2025:

Today we stand silent at 11am for 2 minutes to remember those who fought for us and dedicated their lives for the better of our future.

At HMG, we are proudly apart of the Armed Forces Covenant, a national commitment to support those who are serving or have served in the Armed Forces

Additional information about HMG & the Armed Forces Covenant can be found here:

https://www.herefordmedicalgroup.co.uk/practice-information/armed-forces-veteran-friendly-practice/

11/11/2025

Remembrance Day, 11th November:

Today, we remember. On Remembrance Day, we honour the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives in service for our freedom.

At 11am, please join our silence to reflect, respect and never forget.

10/11/2025

NOTICE: Our Practice Team will be taking part in essential/mandatory training during the afternoon of Tuesday 18th November 2025 from 12:30 and 16:30. All booked appointments will proceed as normal.

Online consultation forms will remain open during this time and you will receive a response to your query as usual. Due to expected demand, unless your query is clinically urgent, you may not receive a response until the following day.

Cover for emergencies will be provided by calling 01432 268031 - please only call this number if your query cannot wait until the Practice continues to review forms at 4.30pm.

If you are experiencing life threatening symptoms, please dial 999.

10/11/2025

🔧 Website Issues – Update 🔧

We’re aware that our website isn’t working properly this morning and may be unavailable or slow to load. Our supplier has been informed and is working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

We’re sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

If you need to contact us, please call the practice or visit as usual — our phone lines and clinical systems are unaffected.

06/11/2025

Anti-Bullying Week, 10th to 14th November:

This year, the theme of Anti-Bullying Week is ‘Power for Good’.

Every year, bullying impacts on the lives of so many people, and silence means it carries on. Use your ‘Power for Good’ to speak up and raise awareness when you see bullying, face to face or online.

40% of children were bullied over the last year. Bullying can be in person or online, and includes physical, verbal, emotional and discriminatory behaviour (e.g., racist, homophobic, disability-related). Let’s use our ‘Power for Good’ and stop this harmful behaviour this Anti-Bullying Week.

Advice for parents and carers to help keep children safe from bullying, wherever it happens.

05/11/2025

NHS App & Messages:

- The NHS App will now be the home of where messages from HMG go when we send you a text.

- We understand it can be confusing - so we have attached a useful step-by-step tutorial on how to access the app and where to find the messages

- We are doing this in effort to streamline communications between HMG and you, the patient.

HOW TO VIDEO:

In this video you can see how you can read your messages in the NHS App and manage notifications on your mobile phone to make sure you get a notification whe...

05/11/2025

Lung cancer awareness:

Understanding the signs and symptoms of lung cancer can help with an early diagnosis. This useful video helps to explain the two types of lung cancer, exploring symptoms, testing, stages and treatment options. https://youtu.be/n6TE-Nkws6Q

Did you know lung cancer can affect anyone, not just smokers? This month is a great opportunity to raise awareness of this devastating disease and to help save lives. If you find that any of the following symptoms are affecting you, and last more than three weeks, make an appointment with your GP:

• Persistent cough
• Coughing up blood
• Chest pain or shortness of breath
• Unexplained weight loss or fatigue
• Repeated chest infections

Early detection saves lives.

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer...lung-cancer/signs-and-symptoms-of-lung-cancer

Welcome to the first episode of Cancer: Explained with guest host Dr Ranj! In this episode, Dr Ranj is joined by Dr David Gilligan to take an in-depth look a...

04/11/2025

Mouth cancer awareness:

Mouth (oral) cancer can start in any part of the mouth – most commonly, on the side of the tongue or the floor of the mouth. Early diagnosis saves lives.

Know the warning signs:

Mouth ulcer or sore that doesn’t heal after three weeks
Red or white patches in the mouth
Persistent mouth or tongue pain
Early detection changes lives. If you’re worried, make an appointment.

Mouth cancer is also known as oral cancer. The most common symptom is a mouth ulcer that does not heal in 3 weeks.

03/11/2025

Winter weather warnings and staying warm

Feeling the chill this winter? Keeping warm is essential for your well-being and health. Here are a few tips on warming up when it’s cold outside:

Reduce draughts where you can
Layer up – wear lots of layers of thinner clothing
Cover extremities – hats, gloves, thick socks and scarves
Eat healthily with plenty of hot drinks
Avoid alcohol
Keep moving
Keeping the cold at bay can help you to stay healthy over these wintry months.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/informatio...keep-well-this-winter/stay-healthy-in-winter/

If you’re retired and struggling with costs this winter, check if you’re eligible for the winter fuel payment. If you were born before 22nd September 1959, you could get help to pay your heating bills for the winter of 2025 to 2026.

https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment

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02/11/2025

Movember:

Movember is here to change the face of men’s health. Too many men are dying before their time, and growing a moustache in November is a conversation starter for those difficult topics that could save lives.
https://uk.movember.com/?home

*Trigger warning*

Did you know that in the UK, three out of four su***des are by men? This has to change. This month is a time to focus on men’s mental health, prevention and health promotion.

Have you noticed a friend’s change in mood? Maybe they’re not around as much, or they’re going through life changes? Reaching out can make all the difference.

https://uk.movember.com/men-s-health/spot-the-signs

Unite to take on mental health, su***de, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

01/11/2025

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month:

Light up your life with purple on 20th November 2025 to commemorate World Pancreatic Cancer Day. Whether you or someone close to you, or you simply show support for the cause, taking part in Purple Lights for pancreatic cancer helps to raise awareness of this devastating disease. https://purplelightsuk.org/

Pancreatic cancer often causes no symptoms in the early stages. When symptoms do appear, they’re the same in men and women and often vague or intermittent. This can mean it’s sometimes missed. Understanding and knowing the symptoms to look out for can help with early diagnosis, which results in improved outcomes.

Look out for:

Unexplained upper abdominal pain
Sudden weight loss or loss of appetite
Indigestion, bloating or early fullness after small meals
Nausea or vomiting, especially after fatty foods
Fatigue or general weakness
If you’re worried, please make an appointment via our online request form.

https://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/information/signs-and-symptoms-of-pancreatic-cancer/

Tip: Find some great symptom-related resources here: https://shop.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/collections/symptoms-awareness

Purple Lights for pancreatic cancerPurple Lights for pancreatic cancer is an annual campaign in the UK that takes place duringNovember’s Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and supports the global awareness initiative,World Pancreatic Cancer Day, taking place on Thursday 20th November 2025. Light up...