Antenatal Midwife Appointments. 

Midwives will no longer complete Hospital Antenatal Referrals.  Patients are now required to self refer to the hospital of choice themselves using one of the following links:

Antrim Area Hospital Maternity Referral, Lagan Valley Hospital Maternity Referral & Mater or Jubilee Hospital Referral

Referral can be posted or emailed directly to the hospital (details available on the form) and upon receipt of a referral the hospital will offer an initial booking appointment between 10-14 weeks gestation.   Patients are asked to contact reception to arrange an initial appointment with the Midwife between 16-18 weeks gestation.  This appointment can be brought forward if pregnancy complications occur.

CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT 

Annual Review Appointment are available by contacting reception for patients diagnosed with any of the following:

• Asthma
• CKD
• COPD
• Coronary heart disease
• Dementia
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy
• Hypertension 
• Mental Health
• Osteoporosis
• Primary Prevention - CVD
• PAD
• Stroke
• Thyroid

Minor Injuries Service is provided with treatment for the following:

a) Cuts capable of closure by simple technique
b) Minor dislocation of fingers/toes
c) Removal of foreign bodies
d) Non-penetrating eye foreign bodies
e) Following recent injury, not amenable to simple First Aid
f) Partial thickness burns or scalds, but not involving hands, feet, neck face or genital area
g) Minor soft tissue injuries which can be managed without need for X-ray  amenable to simple First Aid
h) Any circumstance where medical intervention required to stabilise an injured patient prior to transfer to A&E.

Other Services

• Cervical smears
• Child health surveillance
• Contraceptive services 
• Dermatology Specialist
• Depression Counsellor
• IUD Fitting / Implanon Implants & Removal
• Maternity Services
• Minor surgery 
• Travel Clinic
• Treatment Room
• Vaccinations and immunisations.

 Contact Reception to arrange appointments or for further information on services available.

Travel Vaccinations

If you are travelling abroad to work or on holiday, some vaccinations are provided free under the NHS.  However, Non NHS Vaccinations and anti-malarial drugs must be purchased from your chemist after obtaining a private prescription for which there will be a charge. 

It is important to contact us as early as possible to ensure that you receive the best possible travel health advice - a course of vaccines may take up to six months to complete - give our reception staff full details of your travel plans including dates, destinations and stopovers, etc.  The Practice Nurse will then contact you to discuss the appropriate travel vaccination requirements and to receive the vaccinations. These vaccines have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine, so please plan ahead.

• Allow plenty of time for a pre-travel consultation, book an appointment with your Practice Nurse at least 6-8 weeks before you travel.

• A dental check-up before you travel may prevent problems while you are away.

• Take out adequate insurance for your destination and activities. A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles you to free or reduced
rate medical care in most EU countries. You can apply for one free of charge online (www.dh.gov.uk), by phone (0845 606 2030), or by post
using a form from the Post Office

• Pack a first aid kit (a sterile kit of emergency equipment may be a good idea if you are going somewhere remote).

• Find out about the place you are travelling, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website www.FCO.gov.uk contains information
and up to date advice on travelling abroad, including information about risks in specific countries

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

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

Travel Health Questionnaire

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

Travel Questionnaire

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)

Non-NHS Services

Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges.  The Doctors are regularly asked to complete forms and prepare letters for patients.  Examples include the following:

• Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
• Insurance claim forms (sickness, holiday cancellation, etc.)
• Solicitor Reports
• Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
• Private sick notes
• Health Declaration Forms
• GP Letters (non NHS.)

Please leave your form at reception ensuring you have completed any consent or declaration forms.  If you do not have a form it will be necessary to submit your request in writing.  The receptionist will ask you to complete a short information form at reception which will help us to action your request as quickly as possible.   You may be contacted by the practice by telephone regarding applicable fees, if further information is required or to arrange medical appts etc.

Just like other professionals, such as accountants and solicitors, a charge is made for the Doctors time and also professional responsibility.  A list of charges for private work is as follows:

Blood Grouping £20

Blood Tests £15

Copies (immunisations, tests, hospital letters) from £5

Driving Medical (HGV/PSV/Taxi) £95

Employment Medicals £164.50

Forms (Health Declarations, Insurance, Travel Cancellation etc from £15 - £25

Private Prescriptions £15

Travel Prescription non NHS per item £15

Non EU Temporary Patients £50 consultation fee & from £15 per blood test

Receipts available 

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to help you with any queries.  Please be aware that the Doctors always prioritise their NHS work first which means that the completion of private forms and letters may sometimes be delayed and no time scale is available.

Meningococcal ACWY vaccine programme 2017-18

Those patients born between 2 July 1996 and 1 July 2000 are being offered the Men ACWY vaccine.  Contact reception to arrange an appointment.

Anyone up to the age of 25 years and starting university for the first time (not those returning to university in second or subsequent years), are also eligible for vaccination and can make an appointment with the Practice Nurse.  

Patient information leaflet:  http://www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications/are-you-aged-14%E2%80%9318-years-old-protect-yourself-against-meningitis-and-septicaemia

Pertusis (whooping cough) vaccination for pregnant woman will now be offered from 16 weeks gestation.

Self Care for Life – be healthy this winter

Am I using my inhaler correctly? (Inhaler Technique).  If you don’t use your inhaler correctly it won’t work properly.  These videos show you how to use your inhaler.

Did you know that it is usual for adults to have two to four colds a year while children are likely to have three to eight as their immune system is more susceptible to viral infections? That’s why, during winter, when seasonal illnesses are more frequent, it is important to take extra measures to stay well.

The Self Care  message is "Self care for life – be healthy this winter" which we are supporting.

 What are the Fact Sheets for?
The Self Care Forum Fact Sheets cover 13 common ailments and are aimed to  inform patients on issues around self care and on how to best handle the symptoms.  They provide patients with information around:

• Useful facts
• What patients can expect to happen (the natural history)
• What people can do to help themselves – now and in the future
• When to seek medical help (the ‘red flags’)
• Where to find out more

Download the fact sheets below: 

1. Low Back Pain

2. Eczema

3. Heartburn and indigestion

4. Fever in children

5. Constipation

6. Headache and migraine

7. Coughs

8. Acne

9. Sprains and strains

10. Sore throat

11. Otitis media

12. Common cold

13. Sinusitis

%MCEPASTEBIN%

Cervical Screening

A new video below shows women what to expect when they attend for cervical screening.  It has been produced by the Public Health Agency and covers the complete screening journey including the invitation, the smear test, laboratory processing, results and attendance for colposcopy. The video is primarily aimed at women attending screening for the first time aged 25, as uptake is lower in this age group. Further accessible versions of the video are in production (ie. signed in British and Irish sign language, subtitled version) and will be uploaded onto the website when available.

It is hoped the video will promote informed choice among women about attending for cervical screening and seek to reassure those who are called for colposcopy.

The video is on the Northern Ireland Cancer Screening Programmes website at the following link:

http://www.cancerscreening.hscni.net/2179.htm

Please contact reception to arrange a smear appointment with the Practice Nurse.

Practices in the Northern area who provide core diabetes services do not currently have a structured education programme to refer newly diagnosed patients with Type 2 diabetes too.  We are therefore providing the following leaflets from Diabetes UK for your information.  

Please click the following links for information:

Understanding Diabetes (Diabetes UK)               

Eating well with Diabetes (Diabetes UK)                                        

What care you should receive (Diabetes UK)

Education Checklist    

If you are a newly diagnosed Diabetic please contact reception and arrange an appointment with the Practice Nurse or Health Care Assistant and they will be happy to cover the above main areas of education with you.

SEASONAL INFLUENZA VACCINATION PROGRAMME 2017/18

The vaccination programme will officially begin on 2 October 2017 and run until the 30 March 2018. However GPs can begin offering the vaccine once they have received their first delivery of vaccine which may be the end of September.

Priority Group: Chronic Neurological Disease patients including children and young people with any chronic neurological disease and includes Multiple Sclerosis and related conditions and hereditary and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system are invited for vaccination.

Priority Group: Vulnerable children and adults with complex medical healthcare needs such as (but not confined to), those attending special schools for severe learning disability and day care centres are particularly vulnerable to influenza infection are invited for vaccination unless P1-P7 and vaccinated in school.

All pre-school children aged two years or more on the 1 September 2017 (D.O.B range 02/07/13 – 01/09/15) are invited for vaccination.  Appointments can be booked for children by contacting reception or once registered for Patient-Facing-Services can be booked through the Practice Website.  An injection will be used, including for anyone under 18 years old as Nasal Vaccine is contraindicated in pregnancy.

A live attenuated influenza vaccine (Nasal vaccine) will again be available and is strongly recommended as the vaccine of choice for children aged two years up to less than 18 years in clinical risk groups (except those with contraindications such as immunodeficiency or with severe asthma, active wheezing).

Children under the age of 9 years who are being vaccinated for the first time will NOT require a second dose unless they are in a risk group or they require the injected vaccine.

All pregnant women (at all stages of pregnancy) are invited for vaccination by their GP. Flu is the most frequent single cause of death in pregnancy.  Pertussis vaccine will still be offered from 16 weeks gestation.

Click the following link for a list of eligible ‘Clinical Risk Groups’ in full.

In offering influenza vaccine to people in the clinical risk groups, GPs will take into account the risk of influenza infection exacerbating any other underlying disease that a patient may have as well as the risk of serious illness from influenza itself.