Health Visiting Team

The Health Visiting Team can offer support to all families that have pre-school children; this could be help with your children’s feeding, crying or ‘poo problems’.  

Health visitors are here to offer support throughout your children’s early growth, and emotional and physical development. They could even help with those toddler tantrums!

The team can also offer advice and help if you are ‘feeling low’ or attempting to alter your lifestyle by trying to lose weight or give up smoking. From breast feeding and weaning to immunisations and minor illnesses, the health visiting team is there for you.

To make an appointment contact the team on 01432 383 066.

Non-urgent advice: The Five Key Visits

1. When you are around 28 weeks pregnant

2. 10 – 14 days following the birth of your baby

3. When your baby is 6 – 8 weeks old

4. A review of your child’s development at 9 – 12 months

5. A review of your child’s development at 2 – 2 1/2 years.

Private Services

The practice is able to offer the following private services to patients, however these services are not part of our NHS work and therefore fees apply. Please note we are unable to offer any concessions to charities or volunteers.  

Forms and reports will not be completed until after full payment is received. A 50% non-refundable deposit must be paid upon booking for medical examinations.

Fees

Private Certificate – £30.00
Holiday Cancellation Certificate – £30.00

Sickness/Accident Claim Form – £58.00
Holiday Insurance Claim Form – £58.00

Medical with Written Report – £131.00
Adoption/Fostering Medical – £153.00

Private blood test appointment – 10 minutes (plus lab charges – price on application) – £20.00

Occupational Health Report (factual only, no opinion) – £87.50
Coroner’s Report – £53.50
Report for Solicitor – £75.00
Report for Insurance Company – £104.00
Supplementary Reports – £30.00
Miscellaneous GP Report – from £44.00

Click to download the full list of fees for private work

Please be aware we are currently only able to accept cash for private work, we are not able to accept credit or debit cards

Why does my doctor charge fees?

When your doctor is asked to give medical information about you in the form of a report, letter or certificate, the request kick starts a series of processes.

This takes time and is not always straightforward or simple to complete. Some of the information is not available easily and will mean the doctor has to sort and select the right information for the request.

The doctor also must establish who is funding this work and if it is not part of their NHS work, agree a fee for this.

Surely the work is paid for by the NHS?

Many patients see their doctor as the embodiment of the NHS and all that it provides – free care at the point of delivery. However not all work doctors are asked to do is paid for by the NHS and many GPs are self-employed.

This means they must cover their time and costs – staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc – in the same way as any small business. The NHS only pays for NHS work, any work outside of the NHS must be funded by other means and this is why fees are charged.

Why does it take so long?

Your doctor receives large amounts of request and which is often to do with whether your general health allows you to do something e.g. to work, receive benefits, drive, play sport, attend school, own a house, a firearm or it is for insurance, court or other medico-legal reasons.

All requests will vary in complexity, volume and consistency ranging from signing a certificate which can take minutes, to an in-depth report with an examination that can take hours.

What your doctor is signing

When your doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true.

In order to complete even the simplest of forms, they may have to check your entire medical record (some of which may not be accessible on a computer or on site).

Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors’ regulatory body) or even the Police.

Why does my doctor seem reluctant or say no to this request?

Your doctor is inundated with work. They have to balance their time with treating the sick, keeping their practice afloat and making sure they are doing all of this safely and within their professional duties as a doctor.

With certain exceptions written within their contract, doctors do not have to carry out non-NHS work. However, many choose to for the benefit of you and other families they treat.

Where a doctor chooses to undertake the work, we advise them to inform and always agree a fee in advance of undertaking work.

Should their volume of work prove to be greater or more complex than expected, the doctor will contact you to discuss how to proceed.

What can I do to help?

Not all documents need a signature by a doctor and can be done by other professionals. Please check the form and accompanying guidance as you may get a quicker response that way.

If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your doctor if he or she is prepared to complete them at the same time to speed up the process.

Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight. Urgent requests may mean that a doctor has to make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this will cost more.

Don’t book an appointment with your doctor to complete forms without checking with your doctor’s administrative staff as to whether you need to or not.

Travel Vaccinations

Many people choose to travel to exotic places, and the number of different adventure trips are also on the increase. Even if you are travelling to Europe it is advisable to check if you need vaccines and to seek advice that will help you to stay healthy on holiday.  

Ideally you should begin to organise your vaccinations at least 6 – 8 weeks before you leave the UK, particularly if you are travelling further afield. The last vaccination you receive should be at least 2 weeks before you travel.

If you are up-to-date with your vaccinations you will not usually need a further injection of vaccine. However, if you are travelling to an area where there is little or no medical attention then it is always advisable to receive a further injection, particularly if it has been more than 10 years since your final booster.

If you need one of the vaccinations listed below please make an appointment with one of our Practice Nurses. Other travel vaccinations are not provided by the NHS and you will therefore need to find a private provider to give you these vaccinations. Regrettably, due to an increased demand on our services we are no longer able to provide a full travel vaccination service.

What You Need To Do

Research the vaccinations required for the destination that you are travelling to.  

You can use the ‘Fit for Travel‘ website to ascertain which vaccines are recommended, or approach a private provider such as Day Lewis Pharmacy or a MASTA clinic.

Make an appointment with one of our Practice Nurses.

Typhoid
Hepatitis A
Diphtheria
Tetanus
Polio
Hepatitis B (for travel purposes only)

If you need information or advice about vaccinations not provided free on the NHS you will need to seek this privately.

A MASTA clinic or Day Lewis pharmacy will be able to administer vaccinations not provided by the NHS.

NHS Vaccinations

Our Nursing Team offer a number of different types of vaccinations, whether this is part of the NHS vaccination schedule that starts with your childhood vaccinations or vaccination against Seasonal Influenza, Pneumococcal and Shingles.

Vaccinations are the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases. Children are offered a variety of vaccinations by the NHS from the age of 2 months.

The Practice Nurses run a clinic for the immunisation of children from 2pm every Wednesday afternoon. Please telephone the practice to book an appointment and check for availability.

Children’s Vaccination Schedule

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a condition that is caused by reactivation of the chickenpox virus.  

Shingles tends to occur more often in older people and usually causes a painful rash on one side of the body.  

As older people are more likely to get shingles, the new national shingles immunisation programme for people aged 70 to 79 has been introduced by the Department of Health from September, to help protect those most at risk from shingles.

Further Information

Flu (also known as influenza) is a highly infectious illness caused by the flu virus. It spreads rapidly through small droplets coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person.  

For most people, flu is unpleasant but not serious. You will usually recover within a week. Studies have shown that flu vaccines provide effective protection against the flu, although protection may not be complete and may vary between people. Protection from the vaccine gradually decreases and flu strains change over time. Therefore, new vaccines are made each year and people at risk of flu are encouraged to be vaccinated every year.

The flu vaccination is offered to people in at-risk groups. These people are at greater risk of developing serious complications if they catch flu, such as those with a long term condition, pregnant women and elderly people.

Further Information

If you match any of the criteria listed below you are eligible to receive a vaccination against Pneumonia at the Surgery free of charge:
– Over 65
– Suffer from a chronic condition such as: COPD, severe asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, chronic heart disease
– Immunosuppressed (undergoing chemotherapy, being treated with systemic steroids, HIV at all stages)
– Asplenic or splenic dysfunction
– Cochlear implants
– Cerebrospinal fluid leaks

If you are asplenic or suffer from splenic dysfunction or chronic kidney disease it is recommended that you receive this vaccination every 5 years to ensure immunity is retained.

Further Information

Tetanus is an infection that can be fatal in the worst cases which is caused by a bacterium that lives in soil and dirt. The bacterium may enter your body if you have a cut or wound in the skin.  

Children are routinely offered the tetanus vaccination as part of the immunisation schedule.  

For more details see the section above entitled ‘Children’s Vaccinations’.

Immunisation against tetanus began in 1961, so there may be adults who have not had the full course of vaccinations so still remain at risk.

Tetanus Vaccination Courses

Primary Course – Three doses of vaccine, each a month apart.
4th Dose – 10 years after Primary Course
5th Dose – 10 years after 4th Dose

The Primary Course of injections offers good protection for a number of years.  

The 4th and 5th dose are boosters to maintain protection.  

After you have received the 5th dose immunity remains for life and you will not need any further tetanus vaccinations.  

Please note the course does not need to be restarted if you miss or delay an injection; a late injection, even years after it was due, is sufficient to catch up. It is common to get a some redness and swelling around the site of injection, but this should go within a few days.  

You should not receive the vaccine if you are unwell with a fever.

Further Information

To be fully immunised against measles, mumps and rubella, you need to have 2 MMR vaccinations.  

These vaccinations are now part of children’s immunisation schedule: the first at 12-13 months and the second at 3 years 4 months.

If you are concerned that your child has not been fully immunised please contact the Surgery who will check the medical records and arrange any appointments with the Practice Nurses.

The vaccine is also being offered to any adults who may not be fully immunised.  

The immunisation schedules have changed several times historically and due to this, depending on the year of you birth, there is a likelihood that you are not fully immunised.

By ensuring that you have had 2 doses of MMR vaccine in your lifetime you are protecting yourself against all 3 diseases.  

If you would like to know your immunisation status, or would like to book in to have the vaccination, please contact Reception who will arrange any necessary appointments and liaise with our Practice Nurses.

Am I fully immunised?
– People born between 1970 and 1980 may only be vaccinated against measles and not mumps and rubella
– People born between 1980 and 1990 may not be protected against mumps
– People over the age of 45 are considered to have immunity; although you are still eligible to receive the vaccine if you should wish to.

Further Information

Chronic Kidney Disease

For those patients with Chronic Kidney Disease an annual review, including blood tests if required, to ensure their condition is being effectively managed both with medication and lifestyle changes (if appropriate).

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Asthma Checks

Our Respiratory Nurses offer an annual check for patients with Asthma to ensure their condition is well managed and their medications are working effectively.

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COPD Services

Our Respiratory Nurses offer an annual check for patients with COPD to ensure their condition is well managed and their medications are working effectively. They can also offer Rescue Packs and Care Plans to help patients manage their condition through the difficult winter months.

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Heart and Stroke/TIA Clinic

For those patients with a heart condition an annual review, including blood tests if required, to ensure their condition is being effectively managed both with medication and lifestyle changes (if appropriate).

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Diabetes Services

Our Diabetes Nurses offer care tailored to each individual’s needs; with reviews on an annual basis for those whose diabetes is well controlled and stable and more frequent reviews for those who require more intense monitoring, support or changes to their treatment.

We are also excited to share the news that we have started a new service providing diabetic group clinics, please see this short video explaining how these work and the benefits they offer

Women’s Health

Dr Flewers has a specific interest in women’s health and carries out IUCD fittings and implant fittings.  

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