Potters Bar URC recently had the pleasure of hosting a second “physical” Health Talk arranged by the Friends of Parkfield PPG for patients of the three GP Practices in Potters Bar. The talk was also streamed on Zoom and recorded for those who could not attend in person.

The talk was recorded and we have created a new webpage to allow people who were unable to attend or view the talk live to view an edited video recording.

Monday 18th July 2022 – Fiona Stepehen talks about Nutrition – how what you eat affects your health.

Fiona has been a Nutritional Therapist since 2010 and is a member of The British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT), who act as a professional body overseeing training and Continuing Professional Development for Nutritional Therapists. She’s also registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC).

Fiona started by telling us a bit about her professional journey to become a Nutritional Therapist, her interest having initially been triggered by her own digestive health issues and those of her family.

Her talk focused on managing the glucose/sugar levels in our blood and some of the consequences of not doing so (not least of which was becoming Type 2 diabetic), giving us insights into the way the body manages sugar levels and its effects on our health, well-being, and weight management.

Recognising that we are all individuals, her message was on the importance of achieving a personal nutritional balance, building a sustainable nutritional regime that reflected the individual’s genetic make-up, their lifestyle and their personal selections of foods from a wide choice to achieve the desired balance.

She touched on the developing science on how our digestive health (and gut biome) has a major impact on both our physical and mental health and wellbeing and the potential for personalised medical solutions in the future. She stressed that she does not offer medical diagnoses but can provide nutritional advice to support the diagnoses of medical professionals.

A fascinating and informative evening.

Tuesday 10^th May 2022 – Dan Bottrill talks about his career in the Ambulance Service and the transition into Primary Care. 

One of the recent developments within our Potters Bar Primary Care Network (PCN) has been the move to employ two paramedics to support the GPs and nursing staff in providing healthcare to patients. Dan works 4 days a week at Parkfield Medical Centre and one day at Highview Medical Centre. The second paramedic splits her time between Highview and Annandale Practices.

In his talk Dan tells a little about himself, how he came decide to be a paramedic, the many steps along that road, and finally a little about the move from the Ambulance Service into Primary Care and his current role providing care to Potters Bar patients.