CLINICS
Practice Nursing Sisters 541444
or 863040
The practice nurses are available by appointment from Monday to Friday.
They provide:
* First aid to minor injuries
* Dressing of wounds
* Removal of sutures
* Immunisation
* Baby immunisation clinic
* Blood pressure checks
* Ear irrigation
* Routine injections (vitamins, hormones, etc)
* ECG and other referrals from your doctor
* Blood tests and other clinic tests (after seeing your doctor)
* General health advice
Our nurses also provide regular health promotion advice which includes:
* Travel advice and vaccinations
* Asthma management advice
* Diabetes management advice
* Spirometry
* Well person routine health checks
* Cervical cytology
* Hypertension management advice
* Cholesterol level tests
* Smoking cessation advice
* Alcohol consumption management
* Diet and weight reduction
* HRT checks
* Osteoporosis prevention
* Well woman
* Family planning advice
The practice nurses are assisted by our health care assistant, whose services include new patient and blood pressure checks and electrocardiograph (ECG).
Influenza Vaccinations
We offer free flu vaccinations, commencing in October, to all our patients, including those at particular risk from heart and diabetic conditions and breathing difficulties. All patients over the age of 65 are recommended to have a flu vaccination each year. Please ask for details.
Medical Examinations
Private medicals (which can be requested by a third party) including electrocardiograph and blood tests, insurance, HGV and PSV are carried out at specific times and are not covered by the NHS. Medicals and other non-NHS work will incur a charge. A copy of these fees is available in the reception area.
Immunisation
Clinics
Children
Invitations will be sent to parents of all children in the practice when immunisations
are due. No child should now be denied full immunisation without a true contraindication,
which is rare.
Child Health And Vaccination
The following is a guide to the recommended age of your child's health checks:
Age of child
0-6 weeks
Weighing
8 weeks
Development and well baby check
1st diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, Hib and
pneumococcal vaccinations.
3 months
2nd diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, Hib plus meningitis C
4 months
3rd immunisation diphtheria, whooping cough, polio and Hib, meningitis C and pneumococcal vaccinations
7-8 months
Hearing test by health visitor
12 months
Hib and meningitis C vaccination
13 months
Mumps, measles, rubella (MMR) and pneumococcal vaccinations
24-30 months
Development check - health visitor
4 years
Pre-school booster immunisation diphtheria, whooping cough,
tetanus, polio and MMR
All the doctors in the practice strongly recommend that parents have their children immunised.
The Child With A Temperature
We are aware how worrying it can be to have a sick child. If you are concerned about your child we will always see the child the same day at the surgery.
It is always wise to keep a supply of children's paracetamol (Calpol or Disprol) at home. Paracetamol reduces a child's temperature, so should be given four hourly whenever a child has a temperature. In most minor illness in childhood this is the only treatment required. However, if you are worried about your child, or if the child fails to improve in two to three days, it is worth bringing them to the surgery for a check.
Services Included In Our
Health Care
Antenatal Clinic
All of the doctors provide antenatal and postnatal care. We do not provide a home
delivery service as we believe a hospital delivery is safer. Our antenatal clinic
is run by our attached community midwife and is by appointment on Wednesday mornings
at Greggs Wood Road, and Tuesday mornings at Speldhurst.
Postnatal Clinic
By appointment with either the practice nursing sister or doctor if preferred.
Family Planning
All the doctors and nurses at the surgery are trained and advise on all methods of family planning, including pre-conception advice and the morning after pill and coil. The practice nurses see patients for pill, cap or coil checks every six months.
Child Development Checks
We provide development checks for babies aged eight weeks. These are by appointment.
Registration Medicals
Anyone wishing to register with the practice must live within the practice area,
as has been agreed with the West Kent Primary Care Trust. Applicants will
be asked to produce their medical cards or complete a new patient form and attend
a short registration medical. The medical with either a practice nurse or a doctor
is an opportunity to find out about the practice, meet the staff and doctor and
a chance to check your general health ie height, weight, blood pressure, urine
and medication. This is invaluable as it sometimes takes several months for your
notes to arrive from your previous doctor.
When patients register with the practice they will have the right to indicate
which doctor they would prefer to see and should indicate their preference at
the time of their new patient medical.
Minor Surgery
Our practice has a long tradition of providing surgical treatment for appropriate
complaints. All of the doctors will perform minor surgery after initial consultation.
Travel Immunisation
If you are intending to travel abroad you will almost certainly have taken out travel insurance. You should contact us to discuss another form of insurance, ie immunisation against various infections. The practice nurses will be able to advise you on which vaccinations you need to have depending on where you are travelling, therefore please make an appointment in plenty of time, preferably two months before travel. Malaria tablets are obtainable without a prescription from the dispensary at Speldhurst or from a chemist.
Adult Immunisation
For this country we advise all adults to be covered against tetanus and polio.
Services Included In Our Health Service
Health Screening
Screening involves picking up the earliest signs of an illness before it has a chance to damage your health. There is a variety of ways in which this is offered in our practice.
All of our adult patients are invited to make an appointment with one of the practice nurses for a health check. Checks will be made of your height, weight and blood pressure. The nurse can advise you on diet, smoking and other aspects of your lifestyle that may affect your health. If necessary she will carry out various blood tests or refer you to the doctor for specific problems.
Women up to the age of 49 should have a cervical smear every three years, then every five years up to the age of 65. This is a simple, quick test that picks up changes in the womb which may lead to cancer. If these are treated it can prevent cancer from ever happening. All patients who are eligible for this test are called for by telephone or letter. If you think you are due for a test but have not been called, please let us know. If you are worried about the test or would like to know more please ask for a copy of our leaflet, which explains the procedure in greater detail, or speak to the nurse.
Health
Promotion
We encourage all our patients to share the responsibility for their health, both
in the prevention and treatment of disease.
Confidentiality
All staff are bound by strict rules of confidentiality.
Information to third parties is never given without the patient's consent.
Patients' Responsibilities
We aim to provide the best medical care and service to our patients and, in order
to achieve this, we need their co-operation. We ask that patients who cannot attend
their appointment with either a doctor or practice nurse let us know in advance.
Violent or abusive behaviour by patients to any member of staff will result in
that patient being removed from the practice list.
