Health Promotion
At Hartshill Surgery we are keen to increase awareness of health matters and promote a healthy lifestyle. All the doctors and nurses are willing to discuss all health matters including:
- Smoking cessation
- Family planning (including coil fitting and implants)
- Travel health
- Weight reduction
- Prevention of heart disease
- Asthma
- Diabetes
- Cytology
- Maternity care
- Minor surgery (Including Male Sterilisation)
Well person health checks are available by appointment with any of the nurses. The checks are designed to detect risk factors for heart disease and discuss ways in which these can be minimised.
Although specific clinics are held for some of the above, mutually convenient appointments can be made during normal surgery hours. Please ask at reception for details.
Heart Disease
The care of patients with angina or a past history of a heart attack is shared between the practice nurses and doctors. It is very important that regular checks of blood pressure control, cholesterol and degree of symptoms are carried out. The doctor will be able to advise you on the frequency of the checks.
Our Healthy Heart Clinic is held on Tuesday morning, however if this is not convenient an appointment can be made with the practice nurse any time within normal surgery hours.
As part of the care of your heart disease, we are able to offer help with smoking cessation if you require it.
We should like to remind you that all such patients should have an annual flu vaccination and theses are available each Autumn. Please ask at reception for clinic details etc.
Minor Surgery
A wide range of minor surgical procedures can be carried out at the surgery by three of our doctors. An appointment must be made to see the doctor initially. Such appointments are usually made first thing in the morning or at the end of a morning surgery.
Male Sterilisation (Vasectomy) procedures are provided by one of the doctors - for both NHS and Private Patients - please contact reception for details
Cytology
Cervical smear tests are carried out by the Practice Nurses. An appointment can be booked any day, either morning or afternoon. When making an appointment, please make sure the reception staff are aware that it is for cervical smear. It is preferable that a smear is carried out midway through the menstrual cycle ie approximately 18 days from the first day of the period. A specimen of urine should be brought into surgery when attending the appointment. Before you leave the surgery, you will be told when the results will be available. Please telephone reception for your results.
Maternity Care
Full maternity care is provided by the community midwife. Clinics are held at The Childrens' Centre, Penkhull. Your details will be passed to the midwife and she will contact you to make an appointment with you. If you need to contact a midwife at any other time, please telephone the Maternity Hospital who will contact your midwife on your behalf.
Child Health
Children’s immunisations and health surveillance appointments are held during the normal surgery hours. Their growth and development, from birth until their fifth birthday is monitored by the doctors, practice nurses and health visitors, Anthea McNulty and Heather Hancock.
For all immunisations it is vital that the Red Book is brought to the appointment. If the parent is unable to bring the child for the immunisation, a letter of authority giving the name of who will be bringing the child and the immunisation for which the child will be attending must be brought to the surgery signed by the parent, together with the Red Book. If either the letter or the book is not present, unfortunately we will not be able to carry out the immunisation and a further appointment will have to be made.
At 8 weeks old, an appointment will be sent for the baby’s first check up, carried out by the doctor and followed by the first immunisation. At 8 months old, an appointment will be sent for a further check up carried out by the doctor.
A letter regarding all other immunisations will be sent out from the Child Health Department at Bucknall Hospital informing parents when further immunisations are due. On receipt of this letter, please contact the surgery to make an appointment with the practice nurse.