Clinics & Services

It is important that patients with a chronic disease and other long term health conditions are seen regularly so their condition can be monitored – some examples listed below.

• Asthma
• CKD
• COPD
• Dementia
• Diabetes
• Heart Diseases
• Hypertension
• Learning Disabilities
• Mental Health
• Rheumatoid Arthritis

When you are due your annual check we will send you a link via text to book an appropriate appointment. Patients who do not have a mobile number recorded on their medical records will be sent a reminder letter to book an appointment via reception.

Health Promotion

NHS health check is a free checkup  for patients 40 – 74 years of age. The check determines whether you are at a high risk of developing certain health problems such as:

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Kidney disease
• Stroke

More information regarding the check is available at https://www.england.nhs.uk/6cs/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2015/03/nhs-health-check.pdf

Tests 

When requested by a clinician, please book an appointment with one of our trained Phlebotomists. The clinician will generate a blood form for you which will be printed out by the phlebotomist during your appointment.

Results

We will NOT inform you of a normal result.  You can request a copy of your results from reception, but this will need to be signed off by a GP, so please allow up to 48 hours for these requests.

If the Doctor needs to discuss your results, you will be sent a text with a link to book a results appointment, informed by letter to ring in and book a GP telephone appointment or if we have  your mobile number you will be sent a text message containing a link to self book a telephone appointment.

For cervical screening (smear) results, you will be informed by letter from NHS England. Currently the waiting time for a result letter is around 6 weeks.

The local Child Health Department will be informed when your baby attends for checks and vaccinations and will ensure your child is up to date with all the recommended immunisations.

Your baby’s 6-8 week check will be done by one of our Doctors during Mum’s postnatal check.  Mums;- We will contact you to make this appointment when it is due.

A full course of immunisations against preventable diseases is encouraged for your children.

For the full schedule, click here Routine childhood immunisations schedule from January 2025 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Please book your baby/child an appointment with one of the Practice Nurses and please remember to bring your child’s red book with you when you attend. This enables us to check your child’s immunisation status to our Practice records.

Dr Behura and Dr Robson have a minor operation clinic each month. Patients need to have a telephone consultation first and following consultation and agreement with the doctor a minor operation appointment can be booked.

Surgery carried out

• lumps and bumps
• In growing toe nails
• Moles
• Nasal cautery
• Cervical cautery
• Cervical polypectomy

A comprehensive contraception service is provided by all of the doctors and nurses.

• Contraceptive Pill / Depo-Provera injection
  • Telephone consultation with a GP initially
  • follow ups with one of our Practice Nurses who are family planning trained.
• Coils
  • Telephone consultation with a GP initially
  • Coil clinic appointment with Dr Behura
• Contraceptive Implant
  • Telephone consultation with Dr Behura or Dr McMillen
  • Face-to-Face  appointment booked for an appropriate date

As soon as you find out that you are pregnant, inform the Midwifery team and book your initial appointment. Use this form to submit your details.

Whooping Cough vaccination in pregnancy

Whooping cough (pertussis) rates have risen sharply in recent years and babies who are too young to start their vaccination are at greater risk.

Getting vaccinated while you are pregnant is highly effective in protecting your baby from developing whooping cough in the first few weeks of their life. The immunity you get from the vaccine will pass to your baby through the placenta and provide passive protection for them until they are 8 weeks old and can be routinely vaccinated.

The best time to get vaccinated to protect your baby is from 16 weeks up to 32 weeks.

Protect your baby early by contacting us to book the vaccination with our practice nurse when you are 16 weeks.

If you’re pregnant or have had a baby in the past 12 months, you get free prescriptions if you have a valid maternity exemption certificate.

Find out more about maternity exemption certificate here.

Shingles Vaccination

Shingles (also known as herpes zoster) is a painful rash caused when the chickenpox virus (already present in your body) reactivates. It is not catching. Most people only need 1 dose of the vaccine

You will be invited for a shingles vaccination via our text messaging service when you are eligible (aged 70-79 years old). If you haven’t got a mobile phone, you will be sent a letter. It is recommended to have the vaccination if you have already had shingles. Research suggests that the vaccination give protection for around 5 years. The vaccination is not available on the NHS to anyone over 80 as it is less effective.

You can have the shingles vaccine at the same time as most other vaccines. But please leave a minimum of 7 days between the shingles vaccine and a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, so that if you have any side effects you’ll know which vaccines they were from.

More information on Shingles and the vaccine can be found at Shingles vaccine overview – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Pneumonia Vaccination

Pneumococcal infections are caused by a bacteria which can lead to serious medical complications like pneumonia, blood poisoning (sepsis) and meningitis.

If you are aged over 65, you will be invited for your vaccine via text message with a link to self book your vaccination appointment or letter if you haven’t got a mobile phone. You normally only need a single dose but if you have an underlying health condition, you may have one every 5 years.

More information on Pneumonia and the vaccine can be found at Pneumococcal vaccine overview – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Tetanus

Tetanus is a serious but rare condition caused by bacteria getting into a wound. A course of 5 doses should provide long-lasting protection against tetanus.

If you have not been fully immunised for tetanus or you are not sure whether you have, if you or your child has a deep or dirty wound, it is best to get medical advice and you may be given a dose of the tetanus vaccine and even a course of antibiotics.

More information on Tetanus and the vaccine can be found at Tetanus – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Please make sure you book your initial Nurses appointment at least 6 weeks in advance of travel.

We offer the following travel vaccinations free of charge; Typhoid, Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio booster & Hepatitis A.

There is a private fee for Hepatitis B (full course of 3 – £150.00 and booster £50.00).

We do not offer Yellow Fever vaccinations, Malaria prophylaxis or any other travel vaccinations at the practice other than those mentioned above.

Please use an internet search engine for your local Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre & local Travel Clinic.

You can be issued  up to 3 months of your regular repeat medication if you are going away and returning to the UK. You CANNOT be issued ‘just in case’ prescription medication for if a problem occurs. (some healthcare providers do arrange this privately, at cost to the patient).

If you are going away for more than 3 months, all that you are eligible to be prescribed is sufficient medication to get to your destination, register with a local medical practitioner and arrange for a local supply of medication at your own expense.

If you require a letter to take your medication abroad (explaining what medication you are carrying and why) for example; if you need to carry an epi-pen or diabetes medication in your hand luggage. Please allow at least 3 weeks before you travel for us to prepare the letter. This letter will incur a fee of £25.00.  Check your destination and whether you will need a letter to take certain medications with you – this is a link to the Government website:

Take medicine in or out of the UK – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Our Practice Nurses Angela & Katie can perform cervical screening (smear test) Please inform reception the reason for your appointment so the appropriate time and staff member can be booked.

Appointment can also be booked through the extended access hours on a Saturday morning or a Monday evening.

All women and people with a cervix between the ages of 25 & 64 should attend regular screening. You will be invited by letter. For more information, go to When you’ll be invited for cervical screening – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

For information about stopping smoking, please click the attached link for more advice and to self-refer

https://fitterfutures.everyonehealth.co.uk/stop-smoking-service/

From the Home page, click Self-Referral and choose Stop Smoking – Self Referral.

A GP has one session of private administration time blocked each week. During this session the GP will complete the following private work.

• Insurance reports
• “To Whom It May Concern” letters
• Firearms license renewals
• Holiday cancellation forms
• Council tax exemption forms etc

This private work should not to be confused with private referral letters which are done as and when they are needed.

• Private work process takes 10 working days.
• Forms and letters are completed based on the facts recorded in  your medical record.
• Private administration work has a turn around time of 10 working days.
• Some of these non-NHS requests incur a fee so you may be required to pay for some of these services. Please see attached list.
• Our fees are in line with BMA approved national guidelines.    www.bma.org.uk | why-does-my-doctor-charge-fees
• Payment is required in advance. We are unable to take cash payments.
• Payment can be made by contactless card at Reception or by request, using your online banking app.