WHAT SERVICES  DO  WE OFFER? 

General Medical Services:   These include surgeries, home visiting and emergency cover. 

Minor Surgery:   A minor operations clinic is run to help save long waits for hospital appointments.  A doctor will advise you which procedures can be performed. 

Family Planning:    Family planning services including coil fitting and implant insertion are offered.   This can be discussed during normal surgery appointments. 

Maternity Services:   Please make an appointment to see a doctor as soon as you think you are pregnant.  A weekly antenatal clinic is held at Chastleton. 

Well Baby and Child Surveillance:   A weekly well baby and child surveillance clinic is held at Chastleton by appointment.  A doctor and practice nurse are in attendance. 

Adult Immunisation:   If you need to have preventative immunisations for tetanus and/or polio please make an appointment with a practice nurse. 

Travel Vaccinations:   Anyone planning holidays abroad should check with us at least two months before they are due to travel so that we can make sure the necessary vaccinations are completed in time.  These are dealt with by a practice nurse. 

Flu Vaccination:   Each Winter commencing at the beginning of October the practice runs a flu immunisation programme. 

Cervical Smears:   You will be sent a reminder when your smear test is next due, but if in doubt, please ask at reception.  Appointments for smears should be made with the practice nurse. 

Ambulance Bookings:   If you require an ambulance for a hospital clinic appointment, please phone the surgery with details and give at least three working days' notice.

Appointments are available for the following - please enquire at reception.

• Diabetic
• Asthma
• Dietetic
• Menopause
• Hypertension
• Family Planning (including coil fitting)
• Smoking Cessation
• Cardiac Management.  

Medical Certificates and Sick notes

Medical Certificates

For the first seven days of not being able to work due to illness or injury, you do not need to provide your employer with a doctor's medical certificate (sick note). However, you should fill in a 'self-certification' form to provide evidence of your inability to work for your employer or the Department of Social Security. The forms are SC1 for the unemployed or self-employed, which is sent to the Benefits Agency, and SC2 for those in employment, to pass to your employer.

Your employer may ask you for a doctor's certificate (sick note) during the first seven days of your inability to work. As this is not legally necessary, your doctor will charge a fee to the employer for providing it.

If you see your doctor during the first seven days of your inability to work, and the opinion is that your condition is likely to last for more than seven days, you may be given form Med 3 (although your doctor is not obliged to do so), which can cover time off work from the examination for a period not exceeding six months.

There is one exception to the general rule that doctors are not required to issue a certificate during the first seven days of your inability to work. If you are claiming a state incapacity benefit and you have had one or more short spells of incapacity totalling more than seven days within an eight week period, your doctor is required to issue a certificate for any further short spell of incapacity within that period. The Benefits Agency will tell you that a doctor's certificate is required.

Most employees get Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from their employer when they are sick. The self-employed, unemployed and non-employed may claim state incapacity benefits instead. SSP is paid for up to 28 weeks off work. Spells separated by a period of eight weeks or less count as one. If your incapacity lasts longer than 28 weeks you may be transferred to Incapacity Benefit. Your employer should give you the relevant claim form.

For more information you can get information leaflets from your local Department of Social Security office, or the Post Office.  The DSS website address is http://www.dss.gov.uk

Vaccination Schedule

At two months old:

At three months old:

• Diptheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (DTaP/IPV/Hib) - one injection
• Meningitis C (meningococcal group C) (MenC) - one injection

At four months old:

• Diptheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (DTaP/IPV/Hib) - one injection
• Meningitis C (meningococcal group C) (MenC) - one injection
• Pneumococcal infection - pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) - one injection

At around 12 months old:

• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and meningitis C (Hib/MenC) - booster dose in one injection

At around 13 months old:

• Measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) (MMR) - one injection
• Pneumococcal infection - pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) - one injection

Three years four months to five years old (pre-school):

• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) and polio (dTaP/IPV or DTaP/IPV) - one injection
• Measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) (MMR) - one injection

13 to 18 years old:

• Diphtheria, tetanus and polio (Td/IPV) - one injection

Travel Information

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
Carribean	Africa
Middle East	Central Asia
East Asia	Australasia and Pacific

Travel Health Questionnaire

To help us offer the appropriate advice, please fill out the following form before coming to see the nurse.

Travel Questionnaire

Prescriptions for Patients Travelling Abroad

By Law, the NHS ceases to have responsibility for the medical care of patients when they leave the UK.  People travelling within Europe are advised to carry an authorised European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) at all times and this gives entitlement to reduced cost (and sometimes free) medical treatment.  NB: the EHIC has replaced the E111, which is no longer valid.  Patients are advised to check specific entitlements prior to travel.

• For patients who will be out of the country for less than 3 months, it is regarded as reasonable to provide sufficient medicines for an existing condition (i.e asthma, diabetes)
• For patients leaving the country for more than 3 months, they should be aware of the need to register with a local doctor for their continuing medical needs.  The NHS regards it is reasonable for GPs to provide sufficient medication to give patients time to do this.

GPs are not required by their Terms of Service to provide prescriptions for the treatment of a condition that is not present and may arise while the patient is abroad.  Persons who have left the UK, or who are intending to leave the UK, for more than 3 months are not normally allowed to continue to be registered with a practice.

The NHS accepts responsibility for supplying ongoing medication for temporary periods abroad of up to 3 months.  If a person is going to be abroad for more than three months then all the patient is entitled to at NHS expense, is a sufficient supply of his/her regular medication in order to get to their destination, where they should then find an alternative supply of that medication.

GPs have responsibilities in signing prescriptions for patients travelling abroad and may decline to issue if regular monitoring is required.

GPs can be regarded as committing fraud in prescribing to patients that are leaving the UK.

Private Fees  

We do not have private patients. Some services however fall outside the NHS and for these a charge will be made. This is because these services are undertaken in the doctors "own time".