Services

A cervical screening test (previously known as a smear test) is a method of detecting abnormal cells on the cervix. The cervix is the entrance to the womb from the vagina.We strongly encourage all ladies between the ages of 25 to 54 to have a smear test every 3 years and ladies between 54 to 65 every 5 years. Please book your appointment with the Nurse Practitioner  14 days after the first day of your last period. If you are pregnant you cannot have the test until 12 weeks after you have your baby.

Childhood immunisations are one more way to keep them safe. You want to do what is best for your child. You know about the importance of car seats, stair gates, and other ways to keep them safe. But, did you know that one of the best ways to protect them is to make sure they have all of their vaccinations?

Immunisation is the process of delivering a vaccination to protect a person against a disease.

Vaccine is the product given during immunisation which your body uses to fight exposure to disease.

Immunisations can save your child’s life

Some diseases continue to harm or kill children across the world. Don’t let your child be one of them.

Vaccines are very safe and effective

vaccines are only licensed for children after long and careful development and testing by researchers and doctors. Vaccines will involve some discomfort and may cause pain, redness, or tenderness at the site of injection but this is minimal compared to the pain, discomfort, and trauma of the diseases these vaccines prevent. Fever can be expected after any vaccination, but is more common with the Men B vaccine. Giving paracetamol soon after Men B vaccination – and not waiting for a fever to develop – will reduce the risk of your child having a fever. Serious side effects following vaccination, such as severe allergic reaction, are very rare.

Immunisation protects others you care about

some babies are too young to be protected by vaccination and others may not be able to receive certain vaccinations due to severe allergies, weakened immune systems from conditions like leukaemia, or other reasons. To help keep them safe, it is important that you and your children are fully immunised. This not only protects your family, but also helps prevent the spread of these diseases to your friends and loved ones.

Changes to the routine childhood schedule

• The NHS childhood vaccination schedule has been updated to help give children even better protection against diseases. Changes include protecting children against some diseases earlier and adding vaccines that protect against more diseases.
• The MMRV vaccine has replaced the MMR vaccine. The MMRV vaccine protects against 4 serious diseases: measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox (known as varicella). The MMRV vaccine has been safely used for many years as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule in several countries, including Canada, Australia and Germany.

Further information

• Preparation for nursery and school webinar with Dr Clare Gerada and Dr Nishma Shah
• Changes to the childhood vaccination schedule
• NHS vaccinations and when to have them

Our Nurse Practitioner can give you all the information you need to make an informed decision about your contraception methods and prescribe the appropriate medication. Appointments are available throughout the week.

If you suffer from Diabetes please book an appointment with our Healthcare Assistant who will help you with all the necessary tests (urine tests, blood tests, foor check, retinopathy etc) prior to your annual review with the Nurse Practitioner or GP.

If you suffer from heart disease you will receive an annual heart review with a GP. We also hold clinics once a month run by the Specialist Heart Failure Nurse. Please ask at reception for more information.

Run by the Nurse Practitioner for patients with high blood pressure. Appointments are available throughout the week. If you suffer from hypertension you are welcome to use the HealthCare Monitor in reception to measure your blood pressure regularly. This was we can enter you blood pressure readings and help you manage you hypertension. Please ask at reception for more information.

The practice offers maternity services, sharing antenatal care with our local hospitals. All doctors provide ante-natal examinations in surgery hours. In particular the GPs would like to see all pregnant ladies at 16 weeks of pregnancy. Please call at least 3 weeks in advance to book your 16 week check appointment.

Our Healthcare Assistant runs a phlebotomy clinic every morning Monday to Thursday between 8am and 11am. You must have a blood form to book an appointment for this clinic.

Alternatively, you can take your blood form to the walk in phlebotomy clinic in John Scott Health Centre.

Our nursing team delivers a variety of nurse-led clinics for long term conditions such as diabetes, asthma, COPD and hypertension disease along with family planning and sexual health clinic. They also provide full range of treatment room case such as:

• Childhood Immunisation (please remember to bring your red book)
• Travel immunisations/ advice 

Practice nurses help with medical aspects of overseas travel: documentation, immunisations, protection against malaria and medical advice. Most immunisations are free of charge. Please check with the nurses about charges for other vaccines.

Please fill in the travel vaccination form prior to your booked appointment with practice nurse. Failure to do so will affect your appointment with nurse.

Ideally, for short stay holidays (less than 1 month) please book your appointment 6 weeks in advance.

For long stays (more than 1 month) book your appointment as soon as possible some of the recommended vaccines are a course of 3 and can take a number of months to administer.

Practice nurse also provide the following services:

• Contraception advice
• Flu vaccinations
• Wound care
• Blood pressure checks and healthy lifestyle support
• Health screening
• Dementia screening
• Smoking cessation
• Spirometry
• Well women services
• Cervical smears – We carry out routine cervical smears and we will remind you when your next test is due.
• Long term condition clinics (asthma clinic, COPD clinic, diabetes clinic etc)

Many smokers want to quit but aren’t sure about the best way to go about it. There’s lots of free support on offer and by using the support that’s right for you, you’ll be boosting your chance of quitting. Please make an appointment with the Practice Nurse if you wish to give up smoking.

There are many things that impact our health and wellbeing, including feeling isolated or struggling with practical challenges. We have Social Prescribers in our practice who can speak with adults registered with the practice. They will ask you about what is happening in your life, what you enjoy, and what is getting in the way. The Social Prescriber might suggest services and activities that might help you or simply work with you to build your skills and confidence. They can tell you about community based services, e.g. lunch clubs, gardening groups, benefits advice, exercise groups.

Please ask your GP to refer you to social prescribing.

Find out more about social prescribing