Nursing Clinics

The practice nurses can help you with many problems, such as:

• Blood pressure checks
• Warfarin clinic
• ECG's
• Cervical smears (by arrangement with the nurse)
• Dressings
• Family planning advice
• Contraceptive pill checks and prescriptions, if already started by your doctor
• Minor injuries and ailments
• Blood tests (at the doctor’s request) - please note that we also have a ‘phlebotomist’ attending the surgery specifically to take blood tests - please try to arrange blood tests with the phlebotomist if possible, as this frees up the nurse for other problems which only they can deal with 
• Dietary advice
• Ear syringing
• Immunisations
• Childhood immunisations
• Removal of stitches
• Removal of clips

Respiratory Clinic: Asthma and COPD

A doctor and nurse with special interest and training in asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and certain other respiratory conditions run this clinic jointly. It aims to help diagnose, treat and monitor patients with asthma and respiratory problems with a heavy emphasis on patient education and self-management plans. The clinic has special lung function testing equipment (spirometry) available. Patients are generally referred to this clinic by their doctor, but if you have asthma or COPD and have never been to this clinic then please feel free to make an appointment yourself. If you have an appointment at the respiratory clinic please bring any inhalers or peak flow meters you have been given with you to your appointment.

Diabetic Clinic

The aim of this clinic is to help diagnose, treat and monitor patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes, with the aim of optimising control of blood sugar levels and preventing or minimising, as much as possible, the damage done by the disease. As with the respiratory clinic, there is a heavy emphasis on patient education and self-management plans.

A doctor and nurse with special interest and training in this field run this clinic. All insulin-dependent diabetics continue to be looked after by hospital-based clinics.

Coronary Heart Disease Clinic

This clinic is dedicated to the management of patients with established coronary heart disease. Also, patients with a high risk of developing this condition, such as those with cholesterol and blood pressure problems, may benefit from careful monitoring, advice and treatment. A doctor and nurse who both have special interest and expertise in this area run this clinic.

Minor Surgery Clinic

We provide a service to our patients whereby various minor surgical procedures and operations can be performed in the practice, saving referrals to hospital. This should, therefore, help to reduce hospital waiting lists, and be more convenient for our patients. The service includes various procedures, such as removing lumps and bumps on the skin, cryotherapy(freezing), some joint injections and removal of ingrowing toe nails. Please ask your doctor for details.

Dietician

We have a visiting dietician at the surgery. Please speak to your doctor or practice nurse who can arrange an appointment for you where necessary. The practice nurses can also give simple dietary advice.

Phlebotomist

We have a visiting phlebotomist who takes blood samples for us. Please try to see the phlebotomist for blood tests rather than the nurse whenever possible. This can then free up nursing time.

Other Services and Attached Staff

These services and the staff providing them are not based in the surgery but function very much as part of the same team with surgery-based staff.

Physiotherapy

We have access to a limited physiotherapy service. This is currently based at the Community Physiotherapy Department in Letchworth. Access to this is by a referral from your doctor.

Community (District) Nurses

These nurses have great expertise in providing nursing care and advice in the home. If you are house or bed bound and need nursing help then your doctor can arrange for a community nurse to see you at home. For patients needing community nursing care after discharge from hospital, this should be arranged directly by the hospital, prior to discharge. Please contact the surgery, however, if any problems arise in planned community nursing input after a hospital stay. 

They can be contacted by telephone on 07818421164 during normal working hours, or via your doctor or practice nurse.

Health Visitors

The Health Visitor is a qualified nurse who has undergone additional training, particularly with regard to child health and the promotion of good health within the family and community. They are happy to give any advice you need in these areas. 

They are based at the Park Drive Health Centre (next to Tesco) and can be contacted there or by telephone on 01462 892274 during normal working hours.

Test Results

We strongly recommend that you contact the surgery for the results of any blood and urine tests, X-rays or scans which have been organised by your doctor.

You can phone or call at the surgery for the results of any tests which have been organised by any of our doctors or nurses. We will not necessarily have the results of all tests organised by hospital doctors or departments. The time taken for a test result to be processed does vary considerably between different tests, so please ask the doctor or nurse when the test is organised how long to expect for the results to come through.

To avoid busy times, please ring for test results between 10am-1pm or 3pm-6pm.

The receptionists will be able to tell you if the results are normal or not, and convey any simple messages left by the doctor about the results. This, however, is all they can do. They will not usually be able to answer any further questions you have about the results, which should be directed to the doctor or nurse.

If you ring up for the results and they are normal, this does not necessarily mean that this is the end of the matter. You should see or speak to your doctor or nurse about the results of the tests if this is what they have asked you to do. If you have any concerns or uncertainties about the results or your condition, then please see or speak to your doctor or nurse. In the interests of confidentiality, results will normally only be given to the patient.

Self Certification

If you are ill and off work for three days or less then you are not required to do anything other than inform your employer, if you have one. If you are ill and off work for longer than three days then you may be able to claim sickness benefit (if self-employed or unemployed) or statutory sick pay (if you are employed and have worked for your employer for long enough). Sickness benefit can be claimed using form SC1 (available at the surgery, hospitals, your employer and Benefits Agency offices), and statutory sick pay using for SC2 (available from your employer). Both of these forms will cover for your absence from work due to illness up to and including the seventh day of illness.

If you are ill and off work for seven days or more, you will need to be seen by the doctor to obtain a  certificate. If you cannot see a doctor exactly on the seventh day of illness, don’t worry, as certificates can be backdated. Each subsequent certificate will need to be obtained after reviewing the situation with your doctor until your return to work. Your doctor may be able to provide you with a certificate without having to see you if you are off work following recent treatment from a hospital doctor, or following a recent hospital admission.

If you are ill and off work continuously for 28 weeks, or more, then you may be eligible for invalidity benefits, or severe disablement allowance.

If you are ill and off work for less than seven days then NO FORM OF DOCTOR’S CERTIFICATE IS REQUIRED BY LAW.

If your employer requires a certificate from the doctor for less than seven days illness, a private certificate can be issued, but there is a charge for this.

Library

A lending library is available for use by our patients. This contains over 200 books on a variety of health matters. Please address any enquiries to the reception staff.

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