Introduction pageSERVICES

REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS

The Doctor may place medication you need regularly on repeat prescription.

You will usually be given a computer printout of these items which can be used to request further issues by placing the slip in the box at reception in Highworth or handing it to the receptionist in Blunsdon.

Please mark clearly which items you require and where you wish to collect the prescription from.

Blunsdon patients, depending on their address, may be able to collect their medication from the small dispensary we run at Blunsdon Surgery.

You may also post your request along with a stamped self-addressed envelope.

No Telephone requests for repeat prescriptions can be accepted as mistakes may occur.

PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST 48 HOURS FOR REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS TO BE PROCESSED.

Repeat prescriptions are reviewed regularly by the Doctor and you may be asked to make an appointment for review before further repeats are issued.

MATERNITY CARE

The Doctors and Midwife share the ante-natal care. Midwife ante natal clinics are held on Wednesday mornings. The doctor will see you in ordinary surgery appointments, please book these in the usual way via reception. Tell the receptionist that you want an ante-natal appointment. Unfortunately the Doctors are unable to offer their services for Home delivery. If you wish to consider home delivery please discuss it with your Midwife so the necessary arrangements can be made.

FAMILY PLANNING

The surgery offers a full range of contraceptive services, including emergency contraception and fitting of coils and caps.

Please make an appointment with the Doctor:

The Practice Nurses are trained in Family Planning and will be pleased to see you for your routine checks:

MINOR SURGERY

Various minor operations are performed by the doctors at the surgery including cryotherapy (freezing) to remove warts

HEALTH PROMOTION

We believe strongly in health promotion.

The Practice Nurses are trained in health promotion and will be glad to offer you advice. They will concentrate on blood pressure, diet, weight, smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise and healthy living. They will screen your urine for diabetes if you bring a urine sample with you to the appointment in a clean container. Blood tests for cholesterol will be performed where appropriate.

NEW PATIENTS

All new patients are invited to attend an appointment with the Practice Nurse for a Health Check. This enables us to assess your health needs and update your records as there are often long delays before we receive your medical notes from your previous GP.

CERVICAL CYTOLOGY

The Health Authority now administers the smear recall program. They will write to you when your smear is due, asking you to make an appointment. When this happens please book in with the Practice Nurse for the mid part of your cycle.

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE CLINIC

This is a nurse run clinic to monitor those patients with high blood pressure, a history of heart disease or stroke or significant risk factors for these. The Doctor will arrange for you to be added to the clinic list as appropriate and you will then receive regular invitations to attend.

ASTHMA CLINIC

It is recommended that all asthmatics have regular reviews. One of our nurses has a special training in managing asthma and runs this clinic. If you have asthma you will receive regular invitations to attend.

DIABETIC CLINIC

It is recommended that all diabetics have regular reviews. Our nurses have special training in diabetes management and if you are diabetic you will receive regular invitations to attend. One of these appointments each year will be your annual check with the Nurse and a GP. There is now a centrally run Eye Screening (Retinal Photography) Service for all Diabetics. You will be invited to attend by the service provider.

CHILD HEALTH SURVEILLANCE

A programme of regular assessments of your child's health and development is run by the Doctor and Health Visitor. You will receive notification when these checks are due

FOREIGN TRAVEL

Our Practice Nurses are experienced in advising on vaccination and malaria requirements for all foreign travel. Please plan to see the nurse well in advance (at least eight weeks) as some schedules will take a number of weeks to complete.

Please note: Some vaccine courses are not covered by the NHS and a charge will be made, the Nurse will advise you in this case.

IMMUNISATIONS

CHILDHOOD: These routine immunisations for all children are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. You will receive notification when your child is due to receive them. If you have any concerns regarding the childhood immunisation programme please discuss them with the Health Visitor, Nurse or Doctor.

INFLUENZA: It is recommended that the following groups of people receive yearly vaccination against influenza each Autumn:

The Surgery will run special vaccination clinics from the beginning of October each year.

Please contact the surgery at this time to arrange your vaccination.

We regret that the NHS is currently unable to offer Influenza Vaccination to healthy adults under the age of 65 yrs and otherwise healthy children.

NON NHS SERVICES

Some services are not covered by the NHS and a charge will be made. These include:

Please ask at reception for advice on current Fees.

COMPUTERS

The practice is fully computerised and is moving towards becoming fully 'paperless'. All current medical records are stored on the computer but there is no access to this information from outside the practice and confidentiality is highly respected. We now receive most of our hospital results electronically and are able to send some referral letters to the hospital electronically. We are registered under the Data Protection Act as a requirement.

THIN DATABASE

This practice contributes anonymised patient data to a database(s) used for health care research purposes. The practice receives a nominal fee and training from the company aggregating the data to help improve quality in its computer records.

The company holding the anonymous data will be providing the data to authorised researchers for a data fee. The data collection scheme has been approved by the South East Multicentre Research Ethics Committee. The Committee will also be overseeing all research conducted on the data.

The database will hold data on millions of patients, and no patient will be traceable to anyone outside this practice.

CHOOSE & BOOK

The practice is working hard to implement the government’s new “Choose & Book” scheme for hospital referrals. At present NONE of the services are directly bookable on-line & you will need to phone the chosen hospital to arrange your appointment. Please bear with us if there are “teething problems”. More Information can be found by following the link below.

www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk/patients

TEACHING

From time to time Medical and Nursing students are attached to the surgery. If you do not want them present at your consultation please inform the receptionist.

KEEPING UP TO DATE

The Practice is very keen to be proactive in keeping all staff up to date. The Doctors have a dedicated educational morning once a month with only a duty doctor being available for emergencies at that time. Although this restricts the appointments available at these times we believe it is of benefit to everyone for these sessions to continue. Other staff attend updates organised both internally and externally as appropriate.

SUGGESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS

We are dedicated to providing our patients with the best possible care.

If you have any suggestions as to how we might improve our service please address them via our practice manager.

There is a formal complaints procedure in place. Should you wish to make a complaint please contact the practice manager.