GU / Sexual Health Clinic -Greta Ross Clinic:
The surgery has great pleasure in introducing this new service from June 09. The clinic is open to all patients; you don’t even have to register at the surgery.
The surgery team pride itself on a high quality confidential service. The service is provided by two of our
GPwSI partners. They are assisted monthly by a Dr A Rae Consultant Physician.
WALK IN TIMES
Tuesdays 4pm til 6pm
Fridays 3pm til 6pm (Last Friday in the month from 9am all day)
Family Planning:
The surgery offers a nurse-led family planning clinic, which is held on Tuesdays. Various family planning procedures are done during this clinic e.g. coil fittings, implanons etc. We encourage patients to use these clinics for contraceptive advice.
All the doctors are able to prescribe 'morning after' contraception at any consultation. This can be taken up to 72 hours after intercourse and the service is of course completely confidential.
Teenage Health Advice Centre:
Tuesday 12.30 - 2.00pm and 4.00 - 6.00pm
Drop-in sessions are available at these times where teenagers can discuss health issues and contraception with a practice nurse.
Body Image Clinic - Heather Killick
Nurse Specialist in Anorexia Nervosa. She discusses weight, shape and eating habits. This is an NHS service which could lead to a referral. You can phone and book an appointment inbetween 4-5pm on the 1st Friday of every month.
Antenatal Clinic - every Thursday:
Karen Needham our Local midwife works alongside the surgery team running an antenatal clinic in the surgery every Thursday morning. I also see all the women from the surgery all the way through pregnancy and the first 10 days after having their baby
Well Person Screening:
The doctors and nurses of the practice are all committed to health promotion, believing it is better, where possible, to prevent illness rather than treat it. Our practice nurses run well man and well woman sessions. You may book a health check any time you wish.
Well woman checks include a Smear Test, which is an examination of the neck of the womb (cervix) for changes which occur before cancer develops. We strongly recommend this test for all women aged 25 to 64 years who are or who have been sexually active and a recall system for this examination is in operation.
Children’s Clinics:
The doctors and health visitors undertake all the necessary Child Health Surveillance and Immunisation at child health clinics which they run jointly (details available from reception or the health visitor).
In addition to home visiting, the health visitors offer massage sessions that include advice and support for women with young babies. Our nursery nurse is available to discuss any issues or concerns you may have relating to the under fives.
Travel:
We offer a nurse’s clinic to deal with advice and inoculations for travelling abroad. Please tell the receptionist which countries you are visiting when you book your appointment. Please arrange the appointment six to eight weeks prior to travel.
Dietetic Clinic:
Our dietician runs regular clinics to help with all types of eating problems, especially weight reduction. It is necessary to see the doctor to be referred to this clinic.
Weight Management:
Referral into this service can be arranged via the Clinical Team.
Smoking Cessation:
For those patients wishing to stop smoking, we offer advice, support and encouragement in our one-to-one sessions. We can refer to other services for group counselling at local venues.
Heart and Stroke Clinics:
All people who have had a history of Heart Disease (CHD) or Stroke (CVA or TIA) are invited annually for a health check. The aim is to monitor your general heath and prevent any reoccurrence.
Prior to an appointment it is usual to have a blood test performed to check cholesterol, glucose etc (see section on blood testing)
The Heart/Stroke clinic is run by Michelle and Debbie. At the appointment we will discuss your blood results, check weight, blood pressure and assess any medications. It is important to inform the nurse of any symptoms or concerns you have.
If necessary the nurses can give lifestyle advice, refer to smoke cessation and weight management services or suggest an appointment with a GP or hospital specialist.
You are welcome to bring a relative/carer if you wish.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease clinic
Most people are not diagnosed until they are in their fifties. COPD is predominantly caused by smoking. Diagnosis is made in the clinic by taking a history from the patient, examination and confirmation of airflow obstruction (This is when the lungs are not working properly.)Our lungs are very complicated. When they stop working properly, this can be for a number of different reasons. There are various tests to find out what is happening in your lungs.
The different types of breathing tests are to check:
How well we can breathe in and out. This is called a Spirometry test (see spirometry info below).
How well our lungs are doing their job, getting oxygen into our blood, and carbon dioxide out. How exercise effects are lungs. How medication affects our lungs.
Sometimes, you will have a combination of tests. You have to blow into a machine, but the tests are painless and will do you no harm.
Assessing the need for oxygen therapy can also be done in the clinic. It is simple and painless –a little gadget that clips onto your fingertip. It does not take blood it measures how much oxygen is in your blood by shining a light through your finger to see how red your blood is.
Screening Test for COPD is also done in the clinic. A diagnosis of COPD should be considered in patients over 35yrs who have a risk factor (generally smoking) and who present with exertional breathlessness, chronic cough, regular sputum production, frequent winter bronchitis or wheeze. The clinic helps to give treatment, care and support to patients and their families with the disease following their diagnosis.
Asthma Clinic
Asthma is a condition that affects the airways-the smallest tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs.
The asthma clinic gives you information of how to spot when your asthma is not well controlled, practical help to get symptom control is available. Asthma symptoms may flare up from time to time. There is often no apparent reason why symptoms flare up. However, some people find that symptoms are triggered, or made worse, in certain situations. It may be possible to avoid certain triggers, which may help to reduce symptoms. The asthma clinic it to try and give you help and advice, make sure you are on the correct treatment so that your asthma is under control so that you are able to have a better quality of life and do the things you want to.
In the clinic we do a breathing test, the most common type of breathing test is a peak flow.
Peak Flow Test:
This measures the fastest speed you can blow out. To do the test you take the biggest breath in that you can and then blow out as fast as you can. The results are useful in diagnosing asthma and deciding on its treatment. You may be asked to keep a diary of your peak flow readings for 2 weeks.
Spirometry Test:
We offer lung function tests to patients over 40 years of age and who smoke. This is a test that enables the Clinicians to diagnose lung conditions.
Sometimes a spirometery test is needed which tells us how much air you can blow out in the first second of breathing out. It can help tell whether your breathing is obstructed by narrowing of the bronchial tubes. The tests are painless and will do you no harm .Everything is explained to you before you have to do the tests
Most people with asthma are treated with inhalers. Inhalers deliver a small dose of drug directly into the airways. There are many different inhaler devices and in the clinic we can demonstrate the different ones so we can decide which treatment suits you best. If your symptoms are not fully controlled we can help to find out why as symptoms can often be prevented.