As with doctors’ appointments, the nursing team will aim to offer you an appointment within 24 hours of your call. The nurses will also give telephone advice, although you may be asked for a contact number for them to phone back if they are busy when you call.
Minor Operations
The doctor will help you book sufficient time with both the doctor and the nurse at your initial consultation.
Dressings
Some patients require dressings for ulcers and wounds. The nurses will be pleased to advise you when it is most appropriate to attend for a change of dressing.
Treatment of minor cuts and wounds
Blood tests, New Patient Health Checks, NHS Heath Checks and ECGs
Our healthcare assistant (Joyce) will be happy to take blood tests, check your weight, height and blood pressure. She also completes New Patient Health Checks, NHS Health Checks, wound management and some vaccinations and also helps the clinical team with other tasks such and performing ECG recordings.
The doctor who organises your test will tell you whether or not you need to fast overnight. If you are required to fast then this will be for 14 hours prior to your appointment - you can take your regular medications and drink water in this time period. For other specimens that you will have been asked to perform at home, please deliver them to the surgery in the morning as many samples will become spoiled if they are delivered after our hospital collection has been made at lunchtime.
Family Planning
We offer a range of family planning services including contraception services (pill and injections), advice on safe sex, confidential services for under 16s, emergency contraception and referral for unwanted pregnancy under the 1967 Abortion Act.
Cervical Screening
These are done on a 3-year or 5-year recall programme, depending on your age. We also recommend that all women over 50 participate in the national Breast Screening Programme.
Warfarin monitoring
Patients who are taking warfarin and can come regularly to the surgery have the option of having their treatment monitored by the nurses here.
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