Clinics & Services

We provide an extensive service to our patients including the following:

• Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease  (COPD) Clinics

• Anticoagulation Clinic

• Blood Testing (Phlebotomy) - click here for details of our blood clinics.

• Cervical Smears

• CVD Health Checks

• Chlamydia Screenings

• Counselling/Psychological Health 

• Contraception Clinic 

• Diabetes Clinics 

• Drug Dependancy Clinic 

• Dietary Advice

• Flu Vaccination Clinic

• Heart Health Check/Coronary Vascular Disease

• Hypertension Clinic

• Infant, Childhood and Teenage Vaccinations

• Maternity Medical Services - we have a team of midwives from the Leicester General Hospital who visit the practice to ensure your pregnancy goes as smoothly as possible.  The midwives will ensure all tests, checks and the monitoring of your pregnancy are carried out.

• Minor Injuries

• Minor Surgery - the practice is able offer surgery for some conditions.  Please ask at reception to book an appointment with one of our doctors.

• Minor Ailment Clinic

• MSK Clinic

• New Patient Health Checks

• Retinal Eye Screening Clinic (at certain times of the year)

• NHS STOP Smoking service

• Travel Advice and Holiday Vaccinations - Please give us 6 to 8 weeks notice of your intended travel as some vaccines take a while to become effective. More information is available on the above tab.

• Weight Management

• Warfarin Management Clinic

If you're planning to travel outside the UK, you may need to be vaccinated against some of the serious diseases found in other parts of the world.

Vaccinations are available to protect you against many travel-related infections, such as yellow fever, typhoid and hepatitis A.

In the UK, the childhood vaccination programme protects you against a number of diseases such as tetanus, but it does not cover most of the infectious diseases that are found overseas.

Travel vaccinations

You can find out which vaccinations are necessary or recommended for the areas you will be visiting on these two websites:

• NHS Fit for Travel
• National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC)

Some countries require you to have an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) before you enter. For example, Saudi Arabia requires proof of vaccination against certain types of meningitis for visitors arriving for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.

Many tropical countries in Africa and South America will not accept travellers from an area where there is yellow fever unless they can prove that they have been vaccinated against it.

Read more about the vaccines available for travellers abroad.

Getting vaccinated

You don't always need vaccinations to travel abroad. If you do, the type of travel jabs you need depends on which country you're visiting and what you're doing.

First, phone or visit your GP or practice nurse to find out whether your existing UK jabs are up-to-date (they can tell from your notes). Your GP or practice nurse may also be able to give you general advice about travel vaccinations and travel health, such as protecting yourself from malaria.

Your GP or practice nurse can give you a booster of your UK jabs if you need one. They may be able to give you the travel jabs you need, either free on the NHS or for a charge.

Alternatively, you can visit a local private travel vaccination clinic for your UK boosters and other travel jabs.

Not all vaccinations are available free on the NHS, even if they're recommended for travel to a certain area.

Free travel vaccinations

The following travel vaccinations are usually available free on the NHS:

• diphtheria, polio and tetanus (combined booster)
• typhoid
• hepatitis A (including when combined with typhoid or hepatitis B)
• cholera

These vaccines are usually free because they protect against diseases thought to represent the greatest risk to public health if they were brought into the country.

Private travel vaccinations

You're likely to have to pay for travel vaccinations against:

• hepatitis B (when not combined with hepatitis A)
• Japanese encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitis
• meningococcal meningitis
• rabies
• tuberculosis (TB)
• yellow fever

Yellow fever vaccines are only available from designated centres. The NaTHNaC website can help you find where to get a yellow fever vaccination.

The cost of travel vaccines at private clinics will vary, but could be around £50 for each dose of a vaccine. Therefore, if a vaccine requires three doses, the total cost could be around £150. It's worth considering this when budgeting for your trip.

Things to consider

There are several things to consider when planning your travel vaccinations, including:

• the country or countries you are visiting – some diseases are more common in certain parts of the world and less common in others 
• when you are travelling – some diseases are more common at certain times of the year, for example during the rainy season
• where you are staying – in general, you will be more at risk of disease in rural areas than in urban areas, and if you are backpacking and staying in hostels or camping, you may be more at risk than if you were on a package holiday and staying in a hotel
• how long you will be staying – the longer your stay, the greater your risk of being exposed to diseases
• your age and health – some people may be more vulnerable to infection than others, while some vaccinations cannot be given to people with certain medical conditions
• what you will be doing during your stay – for example, whether you will be spending a lot of time outdoors, such as trekking or working in rural areas
• if you are working as an aid worker – you may come into contact with more diseases if you are working in a refugee camp or helping after a natural disaster
• if you are working in a medical setting – for example, a doctor or nurse may require additional vaccinations
• if you are in contact with animals – in this case, you may be more at risk of getting diseases that are spread by animals, such as rabies

If you are only travelling to countries in northern and central Europe, North America or Australia, it is unlikely that you will need to have any vaccinations.

If possible, see your GP at least ten weeks before you are due to travel, because some vaccinations need to be given well in advance to allow your body to develop immunity and some involve multiple doses spread over several weeks.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Speak to your GP before having any vaccinations if:

• you are pregnant
• you think you might be pregnant
• you are breastfeeding

In many cases, it is unlikely that a vaccine given while pregnant or breastfeeding will cause problems for the baby. However, your GP will be able to give you further advice about this.

People with immune deficiencies

For some people travelling overseas, vaccination against certain diseases may not be advised. This may be the case if:

• you have a condition that affects your body's immune system, such as HIV or AIDS
• you are receiving treatment that affects your immune system, such as chemotherapy
• you have recently had a bone marrow or organ transplant

Travel Vaccinations

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
Caribbean	Africa
Middle East	Central Asia
East Asia	Australasia and Pacific

It is important to make this initial appointment as early as possible - at least 10 weeks before you travel. Vaccines have to be ordered if they are not in stock which means you will need to make another appointment to have the vaccinations. 

Some travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge. This is because not all travel vaccinations are included in the services provided by the NHS.

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)

Travel Vaccination Fees

Some vaccinations are available on the NHS, but many incur a fee or occasionally may need to be obtained via a private prescription from the surgery for dispensing at the chemist. The charge for a private prescription is £15.00 per patient per prescription, payable upon collection; the chemist will also charge for dispensing the drug.

Should a fee be required, you will need to pay this prior to attending for your appointment. 

Yellow Fever vaccination is not available at the Practice.

Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Examples include the following:

• Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
• Insurance claim forms
• Passport signing
• Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
• Private sick notes
• Vaccination certificates

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with the nessasary appointments and consent that we would need if you are requesting medical information for an insurance claim or solicitor.

Isn't the NHS supposed to be free?  

The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions: prescription charges have existed since 1951, and there are a number of other services for which fees are charged. Sometimes the charge is made to cover some of the cost of treatment, for example, dental fees; in other cases, it is because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, medical reports for insurance companies.

Surely the doctor is being paid anyway?

It is important to understand that GPs are not employed by the NHS, they are self-employed, and they have to cover their costs - staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc - in the same way as any small business. The NHS covers these costs for NHS work, but for non-NHS work the fee has to cover the doctor's costs.

What is covered by the NHS and what is not?

The Government's contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients. In recent years, more and more organisations have been involving doctors in a whole range of non-medical work. Sometimes the only reason that GPs are asked is because they are in a position of trust in the community, or because an insurance company or employer wants to be sure that information provided is true and accurate.

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their NHS patients are:

accident/sickness insurance certificates
certain travel vaccinations
private medical insurance reports

Is it true that the BMA sets fees for non-NHS work?

The BMA suggests fees for non-NHS work which is not covered under a GP's NHS contract, to help GPs set their own professional fees. However, these fees are guidelines only, not recommendations, and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates suggested.

You can read more here about BMA suggested fees.

Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form?

Time spent completing forms and preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of his or her patients. Most GPs have a very heavy workload - the majority work up to 70 hours a week - and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of their time, so many GPs find they have to take some paperwork home at night and weekends.

I only need the doctor's signature - what is the problem?

When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true. In order to complete even the simplest of forms, therefore, the doctor might have to check the patient's entire medical record. Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council or even the Police.

What will I be charged?

The BMA recommends that GPs tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and how much. It is up to the individual doctor to decide how much to charge, but the BMA produces lists of suggested fees which many doctors use. Surgeries often have lists of fees on the waiting room wall based on these suggested fees.

What can I do to help?

Not all documents need signature by a doctor, for example passport applications. You can ask another person in a position of trust to sign such documents free of charge.
If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your GP if he or she is prepared to complete them all at once as a 'job lot' at a reduced price.
Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight: urgent requests may mean that a doctor has to make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this will cost more.

Sickness Certificates

Sick Note Request Notice

As from the 1st August 2017 all sick note requests will NOT be taken over the telephone.

To request a sick note you will now need to come to the surgery and fill in sick note request form which will be provided by the reception staff upon request.  Complete the form and hand it to the reception staff.  Your sick note request will be ready in 48 hours.

First Contact Physiotherapy Service

We are delighted to introduce our First Contact Physiotherapist (FCP), F Panchal (MSK Physiotherapist)  FCP is offering services to patients direct through the surgery 2 days a week.

So what is a First Contact Physiotherapist?

The FCP role is a new model which is evolving in GP Surgeries across the UK to help patients receive the direct care they require to improve health, wellbeing and their quality of life.  First Contact Physiotherapist works with patients who are experiencing any musculoskeletal problems to deliver expert MSK assessment, diagnosis, treatment and advice to prevent any short-term problems becoming long term conditions.

The benefits of this service include:

• Improved patient experience
• A shorter pathway, so patients have fewer appointments to attend
• Shorter waiting times
• Simple logistics, so patients are less likely to miss appointments etc.
• Opportunity to gain lifestyle/physical activity advice
• Longer appointment times
• Access to imaging and injection waiting lists if required
• Telephone appointments and face to face appointments available
• Sick notes for up to 1 week (for modified activities at work/time off)

Who could benefit from an appointment with our First Contact Physiotherapist?

See below for our inclusion and exclusion criteria: