Summary of clinics & Services

The following clinics are held at the surgeries:-

• Health Checks for new patients
• NHS Health Checks - 5 yearly for 40-74 year olds
• Cervical Screening
• Family Planning and HRT advice
• Maternity Care
• Childhood Immunisations
• Health Visitor Drop In Sessions
• Counselling
• Carer Support Worker Service
• Travel
• Asthma and COPD
• Hypertension
• Coronary Heart Disease
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Epilepsy
• Mental Health
• Diabetes
• Peripheral Arterial Disease
• Minor Surgery and Cryotherapy
• Retinopathy - Annual Reviews for Diabetic Patients
• Doppler Assessments
• ECG Recordings
• Blood Tests (annual review and diagnostic)
• INR testing for patients on anticoagulants
• Flu Clinics
• Healthy lifestyles advice (including stopping smoking)

Physiotherapy

You can now book your own appointment for Physiotherapy by telephoning the Appointment line on 01803 656222 between 8.30am-12.30pm Monday-Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) on the day that you are able to attend.

Holiday Visitors And Temporary Residents

If you require medical treatment or advice whilst you are away from home, please follow the guidelines set out in these pages.

NHS Health Checks

Five-yearly NHS Health Checks are available for 40-74 year old patients.

Please note that these checks are not available for patients who have not been previously diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, stroke, atrial fibrillation and chronic kidney disease.

Please phone the surgery to book a twenty minute appointment with a Health Care Assistant - there is no need to wait for an invitation to attend.

Your NHS Health Check will include a blood test, urine test and healthy lifestyle advice. When you arrive at the surgery for your appointment please use the Health pod in the waiting room to record your height, weight and blood pressure.

For more information about NHS Health Checks, please click here

Please click here to learn more about NHS Health Check Data Extractions

Travel Vaccinations

If you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel you need to make an appointment with the practice nurse to discuss your travel arrangements.  This will include which countries and areas within countries that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required. 

There is further information about countries and vaccinations required on the links below

Europe & Russia	North America
Central America	South America
Caribbean	Africa
Middle East	Central Asia
East Asia	Australasia and Pacific

It is important to make this initial appointment as early as possible  - at least 6 weeks before you travel - as a second appointment will be required with the practice nurse to actually receive the vaccinations.  These vaccines have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine.  Your second appointment needs to be at least 2 weeks before you travel to allow the vaccines to work.

Some travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge.  This is because not all travel vaccinations are included in the services provided by the NHS.

Travel Health Questionnaire

To help us offer the appropriate advice, please print off the attached form and complete the same.  Once completed, please return the form to the surgery prior to your travel clinic appointment with the nurse.

Travel_Pack_-_Nov_2011.docx

Travelling in Europe

If you are travelling to Europe a very useful booklet has been published with advice and guidance to help you get the most out of your holiday. 

To visit please click:- http://ec.europa.eu/publications/booklets/eu_glance/86/en.pdf (this is a large document and may take a minute or two to view)

Sickness Certificates

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

Evidence that you are sick

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.

Statement of Fitness for Work - ’Fit Note'

The 'fit note' was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer's support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced)

PATIENT ACCESS ONLINE SERVICE

Patient Access is an on-line service that allows patients to

• Book and cancel GP and blood test appointments

• Order repeat prescriptions on-line

• View some medical records

• Send a secure message to the practice

Please note that online services are not available for patients

under the age of 16

REGISTERING FOR PATIENT ACCESS

To register for Patient Access, please visit the surgery, bringing ID with you.

Ideally the ID you provide should be;

•  two forms of photo-ID OR
• one form of photo ID plus a bank statement - which will not be copied

Photo-ID can include a photographic driving licence, passport, bus pass or student ID card.

Any bank statement presented will only be used to cross-check address details and will never be copied.

ID verification requirements are stringent because Patient Access allows the user to see your medical record.

Once your ID has been checked a registration form will be printed for you containing your User ID and password - you then use this information to set up your online account.

PATIENTS WITHOUT PHOTO ID

If you cannot present ID but would like to use Patient Access then please tell us and we will ask your GP to verify your identity.

PATIENTS WHO CANNOT VISIT THE SURGERY

If you are housebound but would like to use Patient Access, please call us on 01803 312233 and we will arrange for your GP to verify your identity. We can send your registration form in the post to you.

PATIENT ACCESS TRAINING

Free training for patients who would like to use Patient Access but need some extra help is available from Healthwatch Torbay. Please see the Latest News section for more details of training in this area.

Alternatively you can contact Healthwatch at:

Freephone: 08000 520 029

Email: info@healthwatchtorbay.org.uk

Website: www.heathwatchtorbay.org.uk

Freepost: RTCG-TRXX-ZZKJ

               Healthwatch Torbay

               Paignton Library

               Great Western Road

               Paignton TQ4 5AG

ACCESS TO MEDICAL RECORDS

With effect from 1st April 2016, patients who have signed up to Patient Access which allows the booking of appointments and the ordering of repeat prescriptions online, will now be able to view their detailed care record.

To request access to your detailed care record, please contact the surgery.

Once access has been granted, if you have any queries regarding your detailed care record, we recommend that you contact the surgery to ask to speak to your GP

MJOG TEXT REMINDER SERVICE 

When you provide your mobile telephone number to the surgery, you willl automatically be sent a text reminder the day before your appointment is due. 

NHS Cervical Screening

For information on cervical screening, please click on the following link:

Cancer Screening NHS UK

Private and Non NHS Work

A number of services are not available under the NHS and attract a private fee, e.g.

• accident and sickness reports for insurance companies and soliticitors  

• holiday cancellations certificates

• PSV

• HGV

• elderly driver's medicals. 

• high risk DVLA medicals

 A full list of the services and fees payable is available on request.

 Click here to see a list of non-NHS fees.

Health Visitors Contact Details

01803 321105

Health Visitors and School Nursing Team

Please click onto the link below to access The Torbay and Southern Devon Health and Care NHS Trust Health Visiting & School Nursing Service.

http://www.torbaycaretrust.nhs.uk/yourlife/childrenandfamilies/health_visiting/Pages/Default.aspx

Going to University?

Protection from meninigitis and septicaemia

If you're planning to go to university, please make an appointment as soon as possible for a MenACWY vaccine before leaving for university. You are more at risk of meningitis and septicaemia in the first weeks at university when you mix with lots of new people, some of whom may unknowingly carry the meningococcal bacteria, which is usually spread through prolonged close contact.