Neo-Natal Checks

Some newborn babies are released from hospital without a detailed examination. If this is the case, our GPs are happy to perform the relevant checks, either in the surgery, or in comfort of your own home, depending on which is easier for you.

In most cases, the Practice will contact new mums to arrange for this to happen, on rare occasions where we are unaware of the birth, please feel free to give us a call and arrange an appointment or visit.

Our family planning clinics offer free, confidential advice and information about contraception and sexual health.

We provide a range of services including:

  • Confidential advice about contraception
  • The combined oral contraceptive pill
  • The Progestogen-only pill
  • Progestogen injections
  • Limited supplies of free condoms
  • Free emergency contraception
  • Confidential advice about STIs
  • Cervical screening
  • Unplanned pregnancy advice
  • Free pregnancy tests
  • Pre-conception advice and fertility awareness information
  • Fitting and checking of caps, diaphragms, and coils (intrauterine devices, or IUDs)

Please book an appointment (through reception or via our online services) with your GP to discuss any of the above in more detail.

Weight Loss

If you would like to know more about weight and diet advice, we offer a weight management clinic giving you advice on how to lose weight and stay healthy.

A range of options are available to support people with weight loss. To understand which of them may be the best fit for you please arrange an appointment with your GP who will be happy to discuss them with you.

One suitable option may be our Health Trainers who offer 1:1 sessions for people wanting to improve their health and change their behaviour. They can support individuals with healthy eating, weight management and getting physically active.

Many doctors now believe that when it comes to your health, your waist measurement is important.

While knowing your body mass index (BMI) is a good way to decide if you’re overweight, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

BMI is a measure of how healthy your weight is for your height. You can work out what your BMI is by using the NHS UK BMI healthy weight calculator.

If you have a high BMI, you’re likely to be carrying extra fat. But your health could be at greater risk depending on where you store that fat.

Having a large amount of tummy fat (compared to fat around your bottom or thighs) makes you more likely to develop diabetes and heart problems.

A healthy waist circumference for men is less than 94cm (37 inches), and for women it’s less than 80cm (32 inches).

Losing weight and keeping it off isn’t easy, but it has many benefits. You may only need to make small changes to your lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight.

If you’d like to find out more about how you can lose weight in a healthy way please book an appointment with one of our Nurses.

Smoking Cessation

If you’re trying to give up smoking, we can help. Studies show that your chances of success will be greatly improved if you get advice and support from health care professionals to help you stop smoking and if you don’t pay for your prescriptions then giving up is free.

  • The services we offer from the Practice can:
  • Boost your willpower to stop smoking
  • Concentrate your efforts by getting advice from someone who knows your medical background
  • Help you feel that you’re not doing it alone
  • Help you to cope when you are tempted to smoke
  • Monitor improvements to your health so that you can see the benefits

Please call the surgery to arrange an appointment with our smoking cessation advisers.

Minor Surgery

Certain small surgical operations can be performed at the surgery. With minor surgery the recovery time is usually short and you will be back to your usual activities fairly quickly (depending on your procedure).

Before attending for minor surgery you will need to see a doctor for the diagnosis and then you will be given an appointment to attend for your procedure.

Please note we do not offer minor surgery for cosmetic purposes.

Sexual Health Clinics

A range of sexual health services are offered at the surgery including:

  • Contraception and contraception advice
  • Emergency contraception and emergency contraception advice
  • Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhoea and genital warts
  • Testing and counselling for HIV and AIDS

If you need advice and support with a sexual health matter or you think you have a problem you would like to discuss, please call the surgery to make an appointment with your GP.

Sexual health services are freely available for everyone.

Chlamydia Screening

Chlamydia screening is available from the surgery.

Simply ask at reception for a kit. It is a completely confidential service where you can send a urine sample in the envelope provided and receive the results easily.

Travel Clinics

We administer the full range of travel vaccinations and advice. We are an authorised Yellow Fever centre.

People working abroad, especially aid workers, may require extra immunisations.

If you originally come from the country you are visiting, it is likely your immunity will have worn off so it is important to be vaccinated.

Prior to travelling please allow as much time as possible to arrange your appointment for the Travel Clinic (preferably at least 6 weeks or more), which will be with the Practice Nurse. The Nurse will require to know which countries, and areas within countries, that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required.

It is important to make this initial appointment as early as possible, as a second appointment will be required with the Practice Nurse to actually receive the vaccinations.These vaccines have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine. Your second appointment needs to be at least 2 weeks before you travel to allow the vaccines to work.

Vaccines

Some travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge.This is because not all travel vaccinations are included in the services provided by the NHS.

  • Diphtheria/Tetanus, Polio, Typhoid, and Hepatitis vaccinations are all available free of charge.
  • Yellow Fever, Meningitis A&C or ACWY, Hepatitis B, and Rabies vaccinations are chargeable Certificates are included.
  • The Japanese B Encephalitis vaccine is only available privately from Masta.
  • Dip/Tet and Polio may require a booster every 10 years for travellers to certain areas
  • Hepatitis A requires a booster vaccine 6-12 months after the first with boosters every 10 years.
  • Hepatitis B requires a booster 5 years after the initial course of 3 injections. Typhoid lasts 3 years.
  • Yellow fever lasts 10 years

Healthy Travel Leaflet

You may find the following leaflet helpful when making your travel arrangements.

A-Z

Malaria

Don’t forget to take malaria tablets – these are not available on the NHS and need to be bought from a pharmacy. Some require a private prescription, some not. Our Nurse will tell you which combination you’ll need – there may be seasonal changes. Though vitally important, the tablets do not offer complete protection so also take mosquito protection measures (mosquito netting, repellents, long sleeves, sprays and vapouriser, all of which help to some extent). All children will require protection; reduced dose vaccines and malaria prevention are available.

Please download and print our useful guide below about Mosquito advice.

Hepatitis immunisation

Immunisation against infectious Hepatitis (Hepatitis A) is available free of charge on the NHS in connection with travel abroad. However Hepatitis B is not routinely available free of charge and therefore you may be charged for this vaccination when requested in connection with travel abroad.

Private Travel Clinics

If you are unable to wait for our next available travel advice appointment, as advised by the reception staff, then you can attend any Private Travel Clinic (you can obtain these numbers in the Yellow Pages see link below i.e. type in “travel clinic” then “your area”, to display a list of clinics) charges will apply at these clinics.

Excess quantities of regular repeat prescriptions

Under NHS legislation, the NHS ceases to have responsibility for people when they leave the United Kingdom. However, to ensure good patient care the following guidance is offered. People travelling within Europe should be advised to carry a European Health Insurance Card, known as an EHIC.

Medication required for a pre-existing condition should be provided in sufficient quantity to cover the journey and to allow the patient to obtain medical attention abroad. If the patient is returning within the timescale of their usual prescription, then this should be issued (the maximum duration of a prescription is recommended by the Care Trust to be two months, although it is recognised that prescription quantities are sometimes greater than this). Patients are entitled to carry prescribed medicines, even if originally classed as controlled drugs, for example, morphine sulphate tablets.

For longer visits abroad, the patient should be advised to register with a local doctor for continuing medication (this may need to be paid for by the patient).

General practitioners are not responsible for prescriptions of items required for conditions which may arise while travelling, for example travel sickness or diarrhoea. Patients should be advised to purchase these items from community pharmacies prior to travel.

Child Heath Checks

Health Visitors

You can normally see the Health Visitors at their drop-in clinic; for further information please contact the Practice.

Health Visitors are all trained Nurses who have extra training and qualifications in child health.They are a fantastic source of information about child development and health, parenting strategies, breastfeeding, nutrition and community support. They also offer help with social, emotional and environmental issues that affect families.

Appointments are sent out automatically by the local health authority for routine child health checks.

The first will be with a GP at the Surgery when your baby is around 6 weeks old. You will be sent information about this and asked to make an appointment at your local Clinic or Practice.

You will also be offered routine health reviews for your child, with your Health Visitor, at 6-8 weeks, 8-12 months and 2-2½ years old.

Child immunisations

Immunisations are given by our Practice Nurses or other Healthcare Professionals in accordance with the NHS vaccine schedule.

When to immunise

Different vaccines are given at different ages to protect you and your child. Find out when these vaccinations are offered, and when and where they’ll be given: