Castle Mead Medical Centre - The clinics and other services offered by our doctors surgery

Clinics & Services

district_nurse Our practice provides several special clinics/services, which are listed below.

Please telephone the surgery to arrange an appointment or for more information about any of the services listed.

Family Planning (inc. Contraceptive Pill, Coil and Implanon)

All the Doctors and Nurses provide contraceptive advice in normal surgery time.

Repeat prescriptions or follow up appointments can be arranged solely with the Practice Nurse.

Emergency (72-hour) contraception is available on request.

Dr Patterson and Dr Glastonbury are both able to fit coils - please see the practice nurse first.

Please see Dr Patterson for advice and further information regarding Implanon.

Well-Person Clinic

An informal appointment offering blood pressure checks and general advice on health.

Please arrange an appointment with the Practice Nurse.

Cervical Smears

It is recommended that routine smear tests be carried out on women age 25-49 every 3 years and women aged 50-64 every 5 years.

You will be sent a letter from the Health Authority by post telling you when this is due and inviting you to make an appointment for this to be carried out.

Antenatal and Postnatal Clinics

We provide a system of shared care with the doctors, midwives and the hospital consultants.

Appointments are usually with a midwife.

Stress & Anxiety Clinic

The practice has an in-house Stress and Anxiety Clinic run by qualified counsellors.

Please make an appointment to see your doctor for further information.

Health Check

Health checks are available to patients who have not been seen at the surgery within 3 years.

This also applies to patients aged 75 and over who have not been seen by any of the practice team in the previous 12 months.

Please make an appointment with the Health Care Assistant.

Health checks can be carried out at home for those who are elderly and unable to attend the surgery.

Minor Operations

We are able to perform a variety of minor operations.

Please make an appointment to see Dr Tull for removal of moles/cysts, etc.

Foreign Travel

Nurses can advise on all aspects of foreign travel.

The practice is Yellow Fever accredited.

Weight Control

ladydocbaby Patients will be offered appointments with the Health Care Assistant for advice, support and weight checks.

Medical Examinations

Fees for private medicals (HGV, etc.) ask at reception.

Childhood Immunisations

Clinics held every Thursday

The childhood vaccinations are now given in rapid succession at two, three and four months to protect against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio and meningitis.

It is very important that your child has these vaccinations.

Please feel free to discuss any concerns you may have with the doctor or health visitor.

Asthma Clinic

flu We recommend that those people with asthma attend the surgery for an annual review. This is to ensure that you are on the most appropriate medication and to provide advice on how to best care for the condition as it affects you.

These appointments are with the Practice Nurse.

Physiotherapy

The GP can refer you directly to our in-house physiotherapist who now has a custom-built room for this service.

Beverley Berns - Physiotherapist.

Phlebotomy

Blood tests can be taken at the surgery on any weekday morning between 8:30 and 12.30am Monday, Wednesday & Friday - only by appointment.

Smoking Cessation

Nurse Karen can offer advice and support with stopping smoking – please ask for further information at reception.

Diabetes

glucose_test All our diabetic patients are offered regular reviews every 6 to 12 months with the doctor or the nurse.

Please telephone the surgery or ask at the reception desk for further information

Test Results

test_results Please call between 11am and 3.30pm to enquire about your test results as our reception staff will have more time to deal with your request between these times.

Note that the practice has a strict policy regarding confidentiality and data protection and we will only release test results to the person to whom they relate unless that person has given prior permission for the release of this data or they are not capable of understanding the results.

When you take your test you will be told how long it will be before the results are returned to the practice.

It is your responsibility to check your results and to make an appointment to discuss them with your doctor if your are advised to do so.

Please do not ring for blood test results (unless urgent) before 11.00am. Thank you

If you are caring for a family member, neighbour or friend, you are entitled to be registered as a carer.

The Carers Link Worker for Castle Mead is:

Mrs Trish Grant

Please ask any of the reception staff if you require more information

If you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel you need to make an appointment with the practice nurse to discuss your travel arrangements. This will include which countries and areas within countries that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required.

There is further information about countries and vaccinations required on the links below

Europe & Russia	North America
Central America	South America
Caribbean	Africa
Middle East	Central Asia
East Asia	Australasia and Pacific

It is important to make this initial appointment as early as possible - at least 6 weeks before you travel - 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.

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.

Travel Health Questionnaire

To help us offer the appropriate advice, please fill out the online form before coming to see the nurse. PLEASE NOTE - YOU WILL NEED TO CONTACT THE SURGERY 5 DAYS AFTER SUBMITTING THIS FORM FOR INFORMATION ON WHICH VACCINATIONS YOU REQUIRE. WE WILL NOT CONTACT YOU.

Travel Questionnaire

Travelling in Europe

If you are travelling to Europe a very useful booklet has been published with advice and guidance to help you get the most out of your holiday. To visit please click:- http://ec.europa.eu/publications/booklets/eu_glance/86/en.pdf (this is a large document and may take a minute or two to view)

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50 million visits to GPs with minor ailments and health problems such as coughs, colds, mild eczema and athlete's foot could have been avoided by visiting your pharmacy instead. Usually those problems are self limiting infections that get better by themselves without treatment.

NEW APPOINTMENT SYSTEM for APRIL 2013