All Services

Travel Vaccinations

If you think you may require vaccinations for your up coming foreign travel, you will need to complete a Travel Questionnaire form.

Please note: we are only able to provide travel vaccinations to our registered patients.

Please read the following information carefully before filling in your questionnaire.

DTP – Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio in one vaccine
Typhoid
Hepatitis A
Cholera

Any other vaccines you need, such as Yellow Fever, will need to be sourced from a Travel clinic and you will be required to pay for those vaccines. Find your nearest Yellow Fever Centre here.

We will not provide information relation to the Covid-19 vaccination. It is your responsibility to check the entry requirements of the country you are travelling to and then source a Covid-19 vaccination appropriately. Current government foreign travel advice can be found here.

Travel Vaccinations

Any required vaccines need to be given as early as possible – ideally 6 weeks before you travel. These vaccines may have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine, it also gives the vaccination time to take effect.  

Most vaccines need to be given at least 2 weeks prior to departure, sometimes longer, depending on your length of stay and countries to be visited.

  • This means Travel Vaccination forms should be completed at least 8 weeks before your intended travel date.

We cannot guarantee availability of appointments or vaccines if you do not complete your request within the above timeframe.

Once you have completed the questionnaire it will be passed to a Nurse to determine what vaccines you need. If any vaccines are required for your travel we will contact you to book an appointment or direct you to a Travel Clinic.

  • Please allow 7 working days for your form to be processed, if you have not heard from us after this time then please call reception to check that your form has been processed.

Please complete the Travel Questionnaire Form in as much detail as possible to ensure we are able to offer the most appropriate advice.

Further Information

The following websites will give you additional travel advice.

Select the region you are travelling to find out more
MASTA Travel Health | For all your vaccination advice (masta-travel-health.com)
Foreign travel advice – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Non-NHS Services

We offer a number of other services not covered by the NHS.  

To book or enquire about any of these services you will need to contact the practice and ask to speak to the Practice Secretary.

We are currently not able to offer Fostering or Adoption Medicals – We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Private Work

Private work carried out by the GPs is subject to a fee. This includes holiday cancellation forms, insurance forms, and private medicals.

For special examinations, e.g. fitness to undertake sports, pre-employment, HGV licence, elderly driver etc., a fee will be charged.
As part of our non-NHS work, the surgery currently offers completion of medical reports for firearms licencing purposes.

If you require a medical report you will be notified of the cost of this upon request. 

Please note that the following GPs are conscientious objectors to firearms licencing – Dr Jill Murray, Dr Susan Green and Dr Maria Wroblewska. 

Requests for firearms medical reports will be directed to another GP within the surgery.

Screening Programmes

Screening is a way of finding out if people have a higher chance of having a health problem, so that early treatment can be offered or information given to help them make informed decisions.

Antenatal and Newborn Screening

Most of the screening services are carried out within maternity services. Those that are carried out partly within the GP Practice are;

  • The NIPE examination of the baby at 6 – 8 weeks
  • A course of immunisation against Hepatitis B for the baby if the mother is found to have chronic or acute Hepatitis B during an ante-natal IDP screening blood test

The optimum timeline for the screening programme:

Your child’s vaccination programme will be linked in with the 6 – 8 week check.

For more information on Newborn and Antenatal Screening: Screening Tests for you and your Baby – GOV.uk

Diabetic Eye Screening

Diabetic Eye Screening is offered to people with diabetes from the age of 12. If you are a new diabetic this will be offered to you at your first appointment with the Practice Nurse.

  • Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the most common causes of sight loss in people of working age
  • It may not cause symptoms until it is quite advances which is why screening is important
  • All people with Diabetes (Types 1 and 2) are at risk of getting diabetic retinopathy
  • Screening is an effective way of detecting the condition as early as possible

For more information on Diabetic Eye Screening: Diabetic Eye Screening Programme – GOV.uk

Cervical Screening

Women are invited shortly before they turn 25 and then routinely invited every 3 years until the age of 49 and then every 5 years from age 50 – 64. After receiving your invitation for screening you can book an appointment with our Practice Nurse at Newton Drive Health Centre who can take your sample.  

Your sample taker will be female.  

If you have any concerns or questions before booking your screening appointment you can ask for an obligation free pre-smear appointment to discuss the procedure and answer any questions that you may have.

  • Cervical Screening saves around 4500 lives per year by offering healthy women a test to detect abnormalities in the cells of the cervix that could lead to cancer
  • Screening is carried out in primary care, at the practice, or at a community sexual health clinic
  • All screening samples in Lancashire are sent to Manchester Cytology Centre and the recall programme is provided by Primary Care Support Services
  • High risk HPV causes changes in the cells of the cervix creating abnormalities, which can develop into cancer. HPV testing is now included in the cervical screening programme

For more information on Cervical Screening: Cervical Screening Programme – GOV.uk

Breast Screening

The NHS Breast Screening Programme provides free breast screening every three years for all women aged 50-70 years old and over.

The programme is a rolling one which invites women from GP Practices in turn, not every woman receives an invitation as soon as she is 50. But they will receive their first invite before her 53rd birthday.

  • Breast Cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK.
  • Screening saves lives from Breast Cancer – lives are saved because cancers are diagnosed and treated earlier than they would have been without screening
  • Breast screening uses an X-Ray test called a Mammogram to the the breast for signs of cancer
  • The screening takes place on mobile screening units located in the local community

For more information on Breast Screening: Breast Screening Programme – GOV.uk

Bowel Cancer Screening

The Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) aims to detect polyps and bowel cancer at an early stage, where treatment is likely to be more effective. Survival rates are much higher for those diagnosed through the screening route. The programme is aimed at men and women aged 60 to 74 years of age who are invited to take part every 2 years.

If you have previously not responded to a screening invite you can self-refer by calling 0800 707 6060.

For more information on Bowel Cancer Screening: Bowel Cancer Screening – GOV.uk

AAA Screening (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm)

This screening programme is aimed at men aged 65 and over.  

All men should receive an invite during the year they turn 65. If you are over 65 and have not previously been screened you can arrange an appointment directly by calling 0191 445 2554. The Screening involves an ultrasound that takes around 10 minutes.

For more information on on AAA: Abdominal-Aortic-Aneurism Programme – GOV.uk

Personal Care Planning Service

The NHS England has introduced a new service for people who are more at risk of an unplanned hospital admissions and who would be likely to benefit from more tailored, active support from their GP surgery.

We believe personal care planning could help improve the health and wellbeing of patients receiving this service, as well as to help reduce the risk of unplanned hospital admissions.

As a member of this programme, you will have a named GP from our surgery and they will have overall responsibility for the care and support that our surgery provides for you.

We will also make sure that you have a named care coordinator, who may be your named GP or another health professional involved in your care and who will likely be the person from our surgery who you see the most.

Your named care coordinator will be responsible for sharing information with you, [your carer] and if you are happy for us to do so with other health or care professionals involved in your care.

Information will only be shared with other care organisations (e.g. hospitals, emergency services and, if you have one, your social care team) to help coordinate your care. These new arrangements do not prevent you making an appointment or seeing any doctor of your choosing within the surgery, as you would normally do.

Your named GP and named care coordinator will work with you to develop a personal care plan and review / discuss any changes needed. We will also invite, with your agreement, other health and care professionals involved in your care to help develop and keep your personal care plan up to date.

With your agreement, your personal care plan will include information like:

  • Your NHS number
  • Details of your named GP and care co-ordinator
  • Details of any other health and care professional who are involved in your care
  • Confirmation that you have agreed to sharing your care plan with relevant health or care professionals
  • Details of the your condition(s) and significant past medical history
  • Details of any medication(s) that you are taking and plans for reviewing them
  • Any allergies
  • The action that you are taking to manage your health
  • How you can detect any early signs that your health may be worsening and what you should do if this happens
  • Who to contact if you think that you need to see a doctor or nurse urgently.

Your care planning discussion will help us (you, [your carer], your named GP and named care coordinator) to think about your health and care needs.

Your named GP and named care coordinator will work with you to review your health needs as often as necessary and at least every three months. They will ensure that you receive support from us and others to help your manage your health. We may also be able to help you find local community resources that you may find helpful.

We will also make sure that, whenever you have an urgent need to see or speak to a GP or nurse, as soon as possible on the same day one of our GPs or nurses will phone you back to help deal with your problem.

  • If you have any questions, or would prefer not to receive this service, please contact reception.

NHS Health Checks

The NHS Health Check programme aims to help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.

Everyone between the ages of 40 and 74, who has not already been diagnosed with one of these conditions, will be invited (once every five years) to have a check to assess their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease and will be given support and advice to help them reduce or manage that risk.

The NHS Health Check consists of a few simple tests that will give you and your GP or health professional a clearer picture of your risk of developing these common conditions.

You’ll then be given advice on what action you can take to lower your risk and improve your chances of a healthier life. For example, making changes to your diet or becoming more active.

What happens at an NHS Health Check?

Your Check

If you’re aged between 40 and 74 and haven’t already been diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, or had a stroke, you will be invited for your check at some time over the coming years. We will write to you enclosing a leaflet about the NHS Health Check programme and we will also ask you to complete a questionnaire about your alcohol and exercise habits which you should bring with you to your Health Check appointment.

Following your first check, you will be invited for another check every five years until you are over 74. If you are diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease or have a stroke after your first or any subsequent NHS Health Checks, your condition will be managed as usual and you will not be sent another NHS Health Check invitation.

If your GP offers you any medical treatments after your NHS Health Check, such as medicines to lower your blood pressure, your progress on those medications will be monitored by your GP.

If you’re concerned about your health currently, please don’t wait until your NHS Health Check to do something about it. Go to your GP as you would normally.

Enhanced Health Checks

An Enhanced Health Check (EHC) is very similar to a standard NHS Health Check in that it aims to help improve an individual’s health and wellbeing.

Everyone is at risk of developing some conditions and finding out about things that could be impacting on your health or health conditions that you did not know you had can be scary. However, the good news is these things can often be changed or prevented if they are found early enough. The purpose of the NHS Enhanced Health Check is to find things early so that we can make the right offer of support to you to help prevent things developing further.

The standard NHS Health Check can help you prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, and other conditions that we become more at risk of developing with age.

Across Lancashire and South Cumbria though there are some residents who qualify for a NHS Health Check (those aged 40-74 with no known conditions), and who we believe would benefit from further screening and support, which is why they are being offered an EHC. This looks at all of the above as well as further screening, vaccinations, and your mental and physical wellbeing.

Patient FAQ’s

We recognise that things in your day to day life can affect your health so an Enhanced Health Check gives us the opportunity to have a chat to understand if that is the case with you and if we can do anything to help.

We will ask you some questions about your current circumstances and lifestyle. We will also measure your height and check your weight, take your blood pressure and do a blood test. It shouldn’t take longer than an hour although it may have to be completed in 2 parts on different days.
The EHC will consist of some questions about your mental and physical wellbeing, your lifestyle and other key factors that can affect your health such as food availability and your current housing security. It will also take some screening measurements such as your height and weight, as well as further tests such as blood pressure and a blood test. You may also be offered vaccinations where needed. Much like the standard NHS Health Check, you will then receive personalised advice and signposting or referral into appropriate services.

It is anticipated that an EHC will last no longer than one hour, however in some cases it might mean you have to have more than one appointment.
Across Lancashire and South Cumbria there are some residents who qualify for the standard NHS Health Check (those aged 40 – 74 with no known health conditions), and who we believe would benefit from further support, which is why they are being offered an Enhanced Health Check. 

To begin with we’re focusing on people aged between 40 – 74 with mental health issues or those who live in an area where a lot of people are socially vulnerable (for example those who live in poverty, have lack of access to transportation, or live in crowded housing). 

GP practices may choose to invite others though who they also think would benefit.
Groups of GP practices who work together in their areas – known as Primary Care Networks or PCNs – have been given extra money to help them to increase their staffing numbers to do this.

At Newton Drive, one of our Healthcare Assistants, Clare, will be carrying out the Enhanced Health Check.
If you think you have a need for an overall health check, please contact your GP surgery.

If you have a specific health or wellbeing concern that you wish to speak to a healthcare professional about, you should contact your GP practice in the usual way to arrange to speak with an appropriate person or team.

Alternatively, you can speak to your local pharmacist or contact NHS111 either by telephone or online at https://111.nhs.uk/ for more advice.
If you still meet the eligibility for an Enhanced Health Check, this is likely to be every five years.

Mental Health Worker

Mental Health Workers deal with new onset mental health problems.

  • Please contact reception for further information or to make an appointment.

First Contact Physio

First contact Physios deal with new onset musculoskeletal (msk) injures.

  • Please speak to reception for further information or to book an appointment.

Dietician

The Doctor, Practice Nurse or Health Visitor will refer you to the Dietician.

  • Please contact reception for more information or to book an appointment.

Community Psychiatric Nurse (Stress Counsellor)

Please see your Doctor to discuss and arrange a referral to this service.