The Penrose Scroll - Edition 9

October 29, 2025

Welcome to the latest edition of our Penrose Health newsletter – The Penrose Scroll. If you have any suggestions for the next edition, please let us know here! 👈

Latest News

Trolleyed!

I think everyone is aware that in the recent past, there have been quite a few Significant Events regarding the use of Emergency Trolleys.

By way of making it easier for everyone to record the use of items from each trolley, we have created an Emergency Trolley Activity form on the Penrose Portal homepage.

This is a quick access form for recording all trolley activity, whether for patient use or any other reason, and is a vital tool for the paramedics to keep on top of stock levels. Much of the activity occurs when the paramedics are not present, so this is key to tracking medications use, etc. for replenishment.

This also means that we are no longer using the Significant Event forms for generic trolley use. The SE form is still required for incidents involving:

  • anaphylaxis

  • a life-threatening event

  • a death

So please, everyone, help the paramedics keep that trolley well stocked…not with booze, but with the things you will need in all kinds of events. After all, who wants to go to the trolley in the middle of an emergency and find that it is out of adrenaline! 😱

Save the date…

…for the Penrose Christmas Party!

Friday, 12 December 2025

Get ready to set sail with the Penrose Health crew aboard our very own privately chartered Thames cruise. There will be food, drink and fun festivities for all. And no worries if you think you might be a bit late - there will be stops along the way for joining (and leaving if you’re not so good on the rough seas 🤢😱).

Your invitations are in the post…paperless post, that is, so keep a weather eye on your emails and RSVP so we can get the rum 🏴‍☠️…I mean…right supplies on board.

The Flu & Mask 👺😷🎭

No, it’s not a new pub! It’s that time of year when germs spread like wildfire, and vaccines and masks are rolled out, in the hopes of mitigating the damage that flu and covid (and many other bugs!) reap.

At the start of October, we had a Town Hall meeting to alert our clinicians to the 2025-2026 policy regarding flu vaccination.

As part of our infection prevention and control (IPC) policy, we strongly encourage all staff to receive the seasonal flu vaccine. To help you access it easily, just ask any of our clinician vaccinators to arrange a convenient time for you to get your jab. Ask and you shall receive…it’s that easy.

Also part of our IPC policy is to mask-up, people. As of 1 September this year, it is mandatory for all our frontline, patient-facing staff and locums to wear a face mask when interacting with patients. This measure has been introduced for individual staff welfare, as well as protecting our patients and colleagues. Sharing is caring, but sometimes it’s NOT…there are some things better kept to ourselves!

Game on!

Penrose Health are proud to announce our sponsorship of a local youth football team - Dulwich Hamlet Junior FC (Under 14s).

Dulwich Hamlet FC has a long-standing reputation as a community focused club, with strong history, dating back to its inception in 1894. It fields men’s, women’s and junior’s teams, promoting inclusivity and development at all levels.

This is a great fit for Penrose Health, as the Hamlet (Dulwich Hamlet FC’s moniker) sits in the heart of Southwark (think Penrose surgery) and includes Lambeth youth (think Knight’s Hill). It also gives young people a positive, structured environment in which to stay active in their communities, helping support their physical and mental wellbeing - we can all get behind that!

Learning & Development Updates

Upcoming PLT dates…

Lambeth

26 November

Lewisham

20 November

Southwark

20 November

Upcoming training events

21 November (9:30am - 1pm) - Improving Vaccine Conversations

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Past events & online learning

And finally, you can check out these past training events and online learning modules whenever you have the time…

South East London Cancer Alliance (SELCA) - Webinar series

CHILDS Framework - Past webinar recordings

CESEL Education - Training recordings

Guy’s Cancer Academy - Online learning events

Penrose Academy - Learning libraries

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What’s new in the Penrose Portal?

🤓 Ask Aunty Portal…

No questions this month for Aunty Portal!

But we do have an important update for our Lewisham teams about urgent mental health referral.

Following the closure of the Rapid Response Team, urgent mental health referrals should now be directed to the relevant Primary Care Mental Health Team (PCMHT).

We’ve updated the Portal with all you need to know here: Primary Care Mental Health Teams (PCMHT) Lewisham

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Significant Events Heads Up

“Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?” — Voltaire

1️⃣ Inappropriate booking for DVLA form

Event: Appointment for patient was booked for DVLA form without instruction from the MR team.

The DVLA had sent a request for a DVLA form to be completed for a patient using only their medical records → no examination appointment was required. The patient was booked in for a double F2F appointment for a DVLA exam, by a Call Handler, without checking to see if they’d been tasked by the Medical Records team.

✨ Learning points ✨

Appointments for forms should not be booked by Reception or Call Handlers unless they have been tasked by the Medical Reports team to do so.

See Portal page for more information: Handling Medical Reports Requests

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2️⃣ Malaria treated as UTI

Event: A patient was seen by and extended access GP → presenting with fever and dysuria. UTI was suspected and antibiotics prescribed. Later, the patient presented to A&E as symptoms worsened, and was diagnosed with Malaria, as it had been discovered that the patient had travelled and not taken anti-malarials.

✨ Learning points ✨

This is not so much an SE as it is an interesting case and a reminder of the importance of considering travel history in patients that present with a fever. No travel history had been explored in the first consultation.

The patient was seen by GPEA and the incident (Datix) has been fed back to the service.

Beyond First Impressions

Physically ‘phit’ pharmacist peregrinates planet to Penrose…

Marisa Souza Silva

Brazilian pharmacy dispenser Marisa joined the Penrose team three years ago. She arrived in the UK via Argentina and Sweden, braving icy winters, a tricky Nordic language and two years of medical school along the way. A natural chemist, she loves experimenting in the kitchen, creating healthy meals, but also admits to not being too healthy for her plants…she hasn’t yet mastered keeping them alive!

Maybe if we learn a bit more about Marisa, we can help her find success with plants, too…

What's inspiring you in life right now? 

Right now, what inspires me most is the daily drive to become the best version of myself, constantly growing and improving in every aspect of life, whether it’s personal, professional, or somewhere in between. It’s all about progress, not perfection!

Sweet or savoury? 

I’m equally torn between sweet and savoury; both have their charm. But when I’m traveling, dessert is never negotiable; I make it a point to try all the dessert specialties I can find!

What’s your favourite board game? 

I don’t play board games very often, but when I do, I enjoy classics like chess and draughts. They are perfect for a little friendly competition and a mental challenge when I do play.

What’s your guilty pleasure? 

Devouring a whole book over a single weekend.

Where would we find you this weekend? 

You’d probably spot me at the gym, staying committed to my fitness goals, and enjoying a good endorphin boost.

What’s your favourite underground line and why? 

My favourite underground line has to be the Elizabeth Line: it's fast, modern, and thankfully not as noisy as some of the older lines. A smooth ride makes all the difference!

What’s one thing you had to learn the hard way? 

One thing I had to learn the hard way is that not every plan goes as expected, and that’s perfectly okay. Flexibility has become one of my greatest strengths.

If you were not in your current role, what would you be doing? 

I would be a food critic, combining my passion for cooking and exploring different cuisines with the fun of sharing honest, tasty reviews.

Thank you so much, Marisa for this insight. Given your passion for cooking and reading, as well as your commitment to physical fitness, it is a wonder that you would have time for looking after plants, too! Still, it seems a no-brainer that you will get there, because it is true - it is all about progress, and your tenacity will help you win in the end. And, as for ‘devouring’ a book over a single weekend…well, you and our Care Coordinator, Hang, have a kindred spirit there (see edition 7 of The Scroll)! Maybe it’s time for a Penrose Book club?

The Shout Out 📢 

To the Pharmacy dispensers: Marisa, Tahmina, Lily and James… You’ve done “an amazing job at keeping the sites going and patient prescriptions up to date while being very short staffed.” 😍

For Claire Willis… “She is very dedicated and passionate, and always has a calm head even if she gets swamped with loads of sickness on her team yet still managing to do her own job as well as theirs. Hits the ground running, very caring nature and inclusive letting her team be who they be…” 💖

We personally appreciate this one… “I'd just like to feedback that the Penrose Scroll gets better and better, so a big shout out to you Kelda, Fran and Caroline - thank you for your efforts with the newsletter. I love the ‘Significant Events’ bit (although I am a bit biased with this!) and the 'Beyond First Impressions' section - it's great to get to know about other aspects and talents of our people - not just their work role!” 😊 

And, an external body Shout Out… 😱

Congratulations to Nightingale Surgery for their outstanding 2025 GP Patient Survey results!

To quote (with a bit of editing)…

“The ICB Lewisham would like to congratulate…the team at Nightingale Surgery…Your results reflect the hard work and dedication of your staff in delivering high quality, compassionate care to your patients…

  • 83% of patients said their overall experience was good

  • 93% of patients felt their needs were met during their last general practice appointment.

Thank you for your continued commitment…especially in often difficult circumstances. Your efforts are making a real difference to the communities we serve…” - Community Based Care and Primary Care, NHS South East London ICB Lewisham.

We think all of our employees are invaluable, but if you think a member of your team deserves a shout-out for something special they’ve done or achieved, let us know here.

We’re recruiting…

We’re currently recruiting for lots of different positions across the business… check out the Penrose Health Careers page to see all the open roles!

And don’t forget, you can get a bonus if you successfully refer someone you know! See our newly refreshed Portal page for more info: Referral Program

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