Below are the services and clinics available in your area.
All women between the age of 20 and 65 should have a regular smear test every three to five years. We send out appointment reminders to all of our patients to let you know when your next smear is due.
We send out appointments for regular checks and immunisations for pre-school children. This is to make sure that our doctors and health visitors can check that children are developing normally and that there’s nothing to worry about.
Our doctors and nurses give confidential advice on all aspects of family planning, including coil fitting and emergency contraception.
We offer a wide range of health screening for men and women at our surgery.
Women aged between 50 and 60 are advised to attend the Breast Screening Unit every three years for a mammography. This is to make sure we can check and detect any abnormalities as soon as possible. These appointments are sent out by the local Breast Unit.
Our antenatal and postnatal clinics are held at our surgery by our doctors and midwives.
We offer routine vaccinations and general advice to our patients travelling abroad.
It may take up to eight weeks for a full course of vaccinations, so please contact us in advance to give you plenty of time if you’re planning to go abroad where you need to be vaccinated.
Some services available are not covered under our contract with the NHS. This means that these services need to be paid for.
The services that include charges are:
Our reception staff and GPs will be happy to talk through the charges with you during your appointment.
Find out about local counsellors and advice services. You can access these services by speaking to your GP or the surgery’s receptionist.
If you have been diagnosed with a particular condition you will be invited to attend for a review of your health EVERY year. This is particularly important as a means to keep you healthy and prevent any deterioration of your health which could be avoided. We strongly urge you to attend.
It is important you let us know if you do NOT wish to attend: please do this when you receive your first invite to avoid us sending you any more. The government says that we have to invite you 3 times in a year unless you let us know that you do not want to come: by telling us after the first invite you are saving a lot of paper and postage. You can also let us know that you do not wish to attend before we invite you by completing one of the questionnaires below. Upon reviewing your answers the doctor may still feel it is important for you to come in for a check.
All patients will be contacted and will be automatically be invited.
You will be invited
You will be invited for an annual review at the surgery with either Dr Martin. This will normally be a 20 minute appointment and you will need to bring your usual medication along with you.
This includes patients with any history of stroke/TIA, heart failure, atrial fibrillation or coronary heart disease. You will receive an annual invitation to see the Phlebotomist for a blood test and routine health check. One of our GP’s will then review the these results when they are available and if she feels she needs to review you, will invite you in to see her in her general surgery. This will normally be a 10 minute appointment which can be booked during her normal surgery.
You will receive an annual invitation to see Alison Kembery – for a blood test and a routine health check as well as a further 20 minute’s appointment to see the Practice Nurse or Dr Martin for your diabetic review.
Most patients will be reviewed by a doctor in a normal 10 minute appointment. You can book this appointment at anytime but you will need to bring any medication you take with you.
Most patients will be reviewed by a doctor in a normal 10 minute appointment. The purpose of this review is to ensure that your physical healthcare needs are not being missed and for you to ask any questions you may have about medication or treatment.
You will be invited for an annual review. The review will normally last for 30 – 40 minutes. The purpose of this review is to make sure that your physical healthcare needs are being met and that you can be more comfortable visiting the doctors.
We employ a Physiotherapist as the first point of contact for patients with musculoskeletal problems, such as neck or back pain.
When contacting the surgery, you may be offered to see the physiotherapist directly, instead of having to see or speak to the GP first. The Practice’s Physiotherapist will conduct an initial assessment of your condition and advise you whether or not a further referral is required.
Sarah and the GP’s are able to offer advice and information on a variety of methods of contraception and give you advice if you are thinking of starting a family. If you would prefer you can also book a routine pre-bookable appointment with a doctor to discuss this.
Some of the methods of contraception we are able to offer within the practice are:
This is injected every 12 weeks by the nurse. The first injection is usually given within five days of your period starting. Once it has been injected the contraceptive effect cannot be reversed until the 12 weeks is up. Make sure that you keep your appointment for your next injection. If you are late going back for your next injection it may no longer be working and you may be at risk of getting pregnant.
The coil is a small device that is put into a woman’s uterus by Dr Martin or the practice nurse. It is made from plastic and contains progestogen hormone, it works for five years before it needs replacing. It is more than 99% effective. This means that less than 1 women in 100 who use the coil will become pregnant each year. (Compare this to when no contraception is used. More than 80 in 100 sexually active women who do not use contraception become pregnant within one year.)
Advantages:
Once it is inserted you can forget about contraception for five years. It does not interfere with sex, periods usually get lighter, less painful and often stop. Fertility returns as soon as it is removed. The coil is often used as a treatment for heavy periods, even in women who do not actually need contraception. It is also used as a treatment for endometriosis and fibroids.
How is it fitted:
You will first need an appointment with Dr Martin or the practice nurse to make sure this form of contraception is suitable for you and to take swabs. The fitting is usually done towards the end of a period or shortly after. You will need to have a vaginal examination. The doctor will pass a small instrument into your uterus to check its size and position. An IUS is then fitted. You will be taught how to feel the threads of the IUD so you can check it is in place. It is best to check the threads regularly, for example, once a month just after a period. If it is fitted within seven days after the start of a period then it is immediately effective as a contraceptive. If it is fitted after the 7th day then you need to use other forms of contraception such as condoms for seven days.
Follow up: Dr Martin or the practice nurse will want to check that there are no problems 6 weeks after fitting and thereafter once a year just to make sure it is still in place.
he contraceptive implant is a small tube that is put under the skin. It contains a progestogen hormone. This is a tube 40 mm long and 2 mm wide (about the size of a hair grip). The progestogen hormone in the implant is released slowly into the bloodstream at a steady rate. The progestogen works mainly by stopping ovulation (the release of the egg from the ovary). It is more than 99% effective.
Advantages:
You do not have to remember to take a pill every day, you only have to think about contraception every three years, it does not interfere with sex, it can be used when breastfeeding, period pain is usually less than usual.
How is it fitted:
You will first need an appointment with Dr Martin or the practice nurse to make sure that this is an appropriate form of contraception for you. The implant is put in the inner side of the upper arm under the skin usually within five days of a period starting. (This ensures that you are not pregnant.) It is effective from then on. An injection of local anaesthetic is used to numb the skin. A small cut is made and the implant placed under the skin. The wound is dressed and will soon heal just like any other small cut. The area around the implant may be bruised and sore for a few days, but this soon goes.
Your care during pregnancy is led by the Midwives but in their absence you will be seen by a doctor. As soon as you have a positive pregnancy test you should make an appointment to see a Midwife at around 6 – 8 weeks pregnant (please let the reception staff know it is your first appointment as
you will need a longer appointment). We strongly urge you to do this as soon as possible to ensure that all the checks which are available to you are offered at the right time.
After your baby is born, we will receive notification of this from the hospital. We then write to you with an invitation to come in for a post natal check at 6-8 weeks.
Confidentiality is very important for young people, especially around issues of sexual health and contraception. The doctors and nurses need to abide by the law on these matters and follow what are known as the Fraser Guidelines, these state that advice and treatment can be given to someone under the age of 16 if the doctor or nurse are satisfied that:
The Test: You can collect a test kit from the surgery or you can give a urine sample (male) or self-taken swab (female). Swindon’s Chlamydia Screening Office will contact you within 7-10 days if you do have Chlamydia. You can collect a self-test if you are aged 16 -25 years at the surgery or at any of the locations listed below:
For a home testing kit which you can return by post, you can go to:
Practice Nurses are available by appointment for dressings, removal of stitches, ear syringing, cervical smears, contraception checks, HRT checks, immunisations and travel advice. They are also available for general advice. The nurses are responsible for running our Diabetic, Asthma and Hypertension/Coronary Heart Disease clinics and Well Person Checks.
The nurses provide a nurse triage and minor illness service in order to provide improved access to the appropriate health professional for our patients.
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.
If you’re not sure whether you or your child have had all your routine vaccinations, ask your GP or practice nurse to find out for you.
It may be possible to ‘catch up’ later in life. Try to make sure you or your child have vaccinations delivered on time to ensure protection.
If you’re going to be away from the GP surgery when a vaccination is due, talk to your doctor. It may be possible to arrange for vaccination at a different location.
NHS Vaccination schedule
2 months
3 months
4 months
12-13 months
Influenza: It is recommended that the following groups of people receive yearly vaccination against influenza each Autumn:
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.
Travel Immunisations & Advice
Our Practice Nurses are available for advice and immunisations. An appointment should be made at least 6-8 weeks prior to travel.
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 at the Surgery.
It is recommended that all asthmatics have regular reviews. So that we can undertake a more thorough check of how well your lungs are working. You will be invited for an annual review with out Practice Nurse or GP’s depending on your ACT score, patients will be asked to fill out a questionnaire.
Further Guidance –
You will receive an annual invitation to see Alison Kembery – for a blood test and a routine health check. When you have attended for this appointment you will need to make a further 20 minute appointment, the Practice Nurse or Dr Martin for your diabetic review.
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.
You can also find more information on the Swindon Diabetes website – click here
This includes patients with any history of stroke/TIA, heart failure, atrial fibrillation or coronary heart disease. You will receive an annual invitation to see the Phlebotomist for a blood test and routine health check. One of our GP’s will then review the these results when they are available and if she feels she needs to review you, will invite you in to see her in her general surgery. This will normally be a 10 minute appointment which can be booked during her normal surgery.
Most patients will be reviewed by the nurse or doctor in a normal 10 minute appointment. You can book this appointment at anytime, you will need to bring any medication you take with you.
You will be invited for an annual for learning disabilities. The review will normally last for 30 – 40 minutes. The purpose of this review is to make sure that your physical healthcare needs are being met and that you can be more comfortable visiting the practice.
Our Health Care Assistant Led Clinics can offer general or specialised primary care services. Click the links below for more information
Who is the NHS Health Check for?
The check is for people who are aged 40 to 74 who do not have any of the following pre-existing conditions:
You should have regular check-ups if you have one of these conditions. Your care team will be able to give you more information about this.
The Healthcare Assistant – will ask you some simple questions about your lifestyle and family history, measure your height and weight, and take your blood pressure and do a blood test – often using a small finger prick test.
Based on this, they will be able to give you an idea of your chances of getting heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes.
If you’re over 65, you will also be told the signs and symptoms of dementia to look out for.
You will then receive personalised advice to lower your risk. This could include talking about:
Our Phlebotomists and Health Care Assistants take the majority of blood tests at the practice. They are available by appointment but we can only offer this service before 2.00pm as the samples are collected by after those times to be taken to the lab.