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In case of an Emergency outside Practice working hours (Evenings and Weekends) please Telephone: 


Out-Of-Hours on 028 71 865195.

Clinics & Services

Child Health Surveillance

We run a child health surveillance programme for all children under the age of 5 to which we invite parents to bring children at appropriate stages of development. Immunisations up to and including pre-school immunisations are given at this clinic.

The only reasons for not getting these immunisations are if your child has an acute illness, has reacted very badly to a previous vaccination or suffers from seriously reduced immunity due to drugs or illness.

Click here for details of the immunisation programme

Clinics are usually held on Thursday mornings.

Family Planning

Family planning services are provided at surgery appointment, these include advice, oral pills, Emergency Contraception, Nexplanon insertion, advice on Coils and onward referral for fitting.  We can remove Nexplanon and Coils.

Cytology and Well Woman Clinic

We operate a screening programme based on current government guidelines to which patients are invited to attend to have a health check, a breast examination and a cervical smear. It is very important for all women aged between twenty-five and sixty-four years old to have a cervical smear test every three years until age 50 then ever five years up until age 64. Women who have provided an abnormal sample prior to their 64th birthday can continue in the programme until follow-up is complete.

There are many early stages of cervical cancer and if picked up early this is totally curable by simple treatment with no large operation necessary. Screening is normally carried out by the Practice nurse or you can make an appointment with the doctor whom you normally attend.

Ante-Natal Care

We provide pregnancy counselling and full care throughout pregnancy in conjunction with South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) Maternity Department. Clinics are run by our District Midwife to monitor health and development of the unborn baby. Antenatal care can also be offered outside of the Midwife clinic by normal surgery appointments if preferred.

Ante-Natal clinic is held at SWAH by the District Midwife on Wednesday afternoons between 1.30pm and 4.00pm.

For All Patients

The practice is engaged in a range of programmes to help patients with specific problems and to prevent ill-health occurring in others. We extend this approach to all our patients, offering any help and advice which would be of value in enabling achievement of the best possible level of health.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person's blood sugar level to become too high. There are two main types of Diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes where the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin and Type 2 Diabetes where the body doesn't produce enough insulin or the body's cells don't react to insulin.

Some symptoms of the condition include feeling thirsty, urinating more frequently, blurred vision, weight loss etc.

In order to treat patients with Diabetes, a clinic is run by the Practice Nurse to which patients are invited to attend for monitoring on a regular basis for blood sugar measurement, urine tests, advice on diet, eye examination, foot care, blood pressure levels and the effect of this condition on general health and social situation.

For further education, Diabetic patients can be referred to a Dietician and the Chiropodist at new presentation.   Sticking to a low sugar diet is an important factor in the management of Diabetes along with medication.

Asthma/COPD

Asthma is a lung condition that causes occasional breathing difficulties such as wheezing, a tight chest and coughing.  This condition can affect people of all ages.  Some people, especially children can grow out of the condition, but for others it's a lifelong condition.

COPD is another lung condition that can cause breathing difficulties such as increasing breathlessness, a persistent chesty cough, frequent chest infections and persistent wheezing.  It is a common condition that mainly affects adults who smoke.  Breathing problems associated with COPD can gradually get worse over time.  Treatment can keep this condition under control.

Asthma and COPD clinics are held by the Practice Nurse to which patients are invited to attend for peak flow monitoring, inhaler technique, new medications and assessment of all aspects of this condition affecting health and social situation.

 

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain and causes repeated seizures.  The condition can start at any age, but most often begins during childhood.

It's not often possible to identify why a person develops this condition, although in some cases it can be associated with damage to the brain.

The Epilepsy Clinic is run by the Practice Nurse on a regular basis to provide all known epileptics with counselling and advice regarding their condition and achieve maximum control.

Hypothyroid

Hypothyroidism is when a persons thyroid gland doesn't produce enough hormones (underactive thyroid gland).  Common signs include tiredness, weight gain and depression.

Our Practice aims to provide clinics for all Hypothyroidism patients with counselling and advice regarding their condition.  We aim to achieve maximum control of the patient's condition.

 

Mental Health/Depression

Mental Health/Depression includes a patients emotional, psychological and social well-being affecting how we think, feel and act.  This condition also helps determine how to handle stress, relate to others and make choices.  It is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through to adulthood.

Mental Health/Depression clinics are set in place to diagnose and treat all patients with mental health problems and prevent relapse, to promote a healthy lifestyle and social interaction and to ensure compliance.

 

Hypertension

Hypertension (high blood pressure) has rarely noticeable symptoms but if left untreated, it can increase the risk of problems such as Heart Attack and Stroke.

Our Practice Nurse led clinic is aimed to evaluate all newly diagnosed Hypertensive patients, to manage those found to have borderline or mild hypertension, those at high cardiovascular risk and to manage established hypertensive patients. Practice Nurses measure BP and cholesterol of all hypertensive patients, records their smoking status and offers smoking cessation advice to all smokers at every clinic attendance.

Dementia

Dementia is a syndrome that is associated with the on going decline of the brain and its abilities including memory loss, thinking speed, mental agility, language, understanding and judgement.

Our practice clinics provide all patients and their carers/relations with the information and support they need.  They allow people with Dementia the opportunity to make informed decisions about their own care and treatment.

Our Practice aims to operate a combined care plan agreed by health and social services that takes into account the changing needs of the person with Dementia and their carers.  In addition, an appointment will be offered to 100% of patients with Dementia at least annually.

 

Learning Disability

A Learning Disability affects the way a person understands information and the way they communicate with others.  People that have a Learning Disability may have difficulty in understanding new or complex information, learning new skills and coping independently.

For our Learning disability clinics, we work in partnership with our Trust to provide an optimum service for patients.  In addition, we liaise with the Trust Health Facilitator to establish an accurate register of patients to whom the service is provided.

Our Practice Nurse/Learning Disability Nurse provides an initial health assessment for patients on our register and a patient held action plan which will be reviewed on an annual basis.

 

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens the bones that in turn makes them more likely to break.  This condition can develop slowly over years and is often first diagnosed due to a fall or sudden impact.

This Practice is committed to working to ensure that our patients are offered the best possible care by running Practice Nurse led clinics for patients that have Osteoporosis.  Bone health is an important consideration for many men and women over the age of 50 and for those at risk of bone fractures. 

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a long term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints.  Symptoms usually affect the hands, feet and wrists.

The major objectives in treating patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis are managing the symptoms of disease and preserving joint structure with the ultimate goal of disease remission.

In furtherance of these objectives we work in partnership with Hospital Consultant Rheumatologists where patients attend as well as our Practice Nurse led clinics in order to receive the best possible monitoring and thereby improve risk factors and symptom management of their Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

 

Coronary Heart Disease/Atrial Fibrillation/Heart Failure

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is a term that describes what happens when your heart's blood supply is blocked or interrupted by a build up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries.  Symptoms of CHD are chest pain, heart attacks and heart failure.

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a heart condition that causes irregular and fast heart rate.  This can in turn cause dizziness, shortness of breath, tiredness or heart palpitations.

Heart Failure (HF) means that the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly.  It usually occurs because the heart has become too weak or stiff.

Our Practice Nurse clinics aim to improve the quality of life of patients with CHD, AF and HF.  Their objective is to reduce the incidence of heart attacks/stokes and to assess the patient's health beliefs and enable them to make an informed choice of healthy lifestyle options.

These clinics intend to reduce and monitor associated risk factors and to diagnose and treat associated complications.  Practice Nurses ensure that recommended therapeutic options have been implemented, where appropriate.

 

Stroke/TIA

A stroke/TIA is a serious life threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to the part of the brain is cut off. 

A stroke/TIA clinic is run by the practice nurse to monitor patients and to reduce risk factors for stroke/TIA in the future.  It is important to be aware of the urgency of calling emergency services (999) and gaining admission to a stroke unit if an acute stroke occurs.

Needs Assessment

Our Needs Assessment clinics aim to provide care and support for patients with Cancer.  Cancer is a condition where cells in a specific part of the body grow and reproduce uncontrollably.  The cancerous cells can invade and destroy surrounding healthy tissue, including organs.

Our practice nurses review all patients on a regular basis.  They carry out screening tests as appropriate.

PAD

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is a common condition, in which a build up of fatty deposits in the arteries restricts blood supply to leg muscles.  Symptoms of PAD include hair loss on your legs and feet, numbness/weakness in the legs, ulcers on your legs and feet, changing skin colour on your legs and feet etc.

All patients with PAD are reviewed and receive advice and treatment at our Practice Nurse Led Clinic.

An annual assessment of ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI) is done, patients are given advice and treatment as needed. 

Palliative Care

Palliative Care is for people living with a terminal illness where a cure us no longer possible.  It's also for people who have a complex illness and need their symptoms controlled.

Within our practice, Palliative Care meetings are held on a monthly basis to ensure a high quality care is provided for all our patients that need it.  This service is primarily directed towards offering more choice regarding the patients priorities and preferences for care and improving life quality overall.

The main goal is to ease pain and other symptoms, to help the patient have a clear mind and to support the patient and their family.

Health Screening Medical

Patients  who are not mentioned in any of the aforementioned disease areas and who have not had a health screening examination are invited on a three yearly basis to this clinic including Males aged 40-74 and Females aged 66-74.

Smoking Cessation

The Practice nurse runs a Smoking Cessation Clinic to assist patients in kicking the habit. These clinics are run in accordance with patient demand.

Near Patient Testing

Run by the Practice nurse, patients who are being prescribed the following are invited to attend for regular monitoring:

Apomorhine, Azathioprine, Ciclosporin, Cinacalcet, Colistimethate, Cylcophosphamide, Darepoetin, Denosumab, Dronedarone, Erythropoietin, Hydroxycarbamide, Leflunomide, Lithium, Mercaptopurine, Methotrexate, Mycophenolate, Mofetil Penicillamine, Riluzole, Sirolimus, Somatropin, Sodium Aurothiomalate, Sulfasalazine, Tacrolimus, Tolcapone.

Minor Surgery

Minor surgery is carried out by an arranged consultation to deal with a wide variety of minor surgical problems which don’t require a hospital referral.

Dr Forster is our clinical lead for this specific area.  He specialises in Minor excisions, joint injections and soft tissue injections for tendonitis and tennis elbow. 

Dr Cathcart specialises in shoulder joint injections.

Dr Richey specialises in nasal cautery.

As well as the above Doctors, all other Doctors can carry out procedures such as Cryotherapy and the incision and drainage of minor abscesses.  

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

We provide CBT clinics on a weekly basis, which is accessed by a doctor referral.  This service can help the way patients manage their problems by changing the way they think and behave.

This type of talking therapy is most commonly used for patients with anxiety and depression as well as other mental and physical health problems.

 
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