Vaccination and immunisation is one of the most important services we offer as it protects people from viruses, and reduces the chance of hospitalisation. We offer the full range of childhood immunisations, and we also offer adult vaccines for flu, covid, shingles, and RSV.

The surgery offers a whole range of services to promote and maintain women’s health, including contraception, cervical cancer screening, pre- and post-natal health checks, and menopause support.

The surgery’s pharmacy team runs asthma check clinics to provide ongoing support to patients with asthma or COPD. Management of these conditions is more effective with regular check-ups as it helps to optimise the right drug and dose, and inhaler technique. With the proper support, many patients can reduce the impact of their condition and live better.

We have a comprehensive frailty service at the surgery run by a dedicated team. Frailty is a term used to describe anyone who has multiple needs, often including health and social care, for which an all-encompassing and coordinated approach is going to be more effective.

The includes a doctor with a special interest, a dedicate care manager, a social prescriber, and pharmacy and nursing input. The team liaises very closely with other NHS services, including district nursing, and social services, and also has support from a named hospital consultant specialising in frailty.

The team supports people living at home, alone or with family, and also people living in care homes and sheltered accommodation.

Anyone residing in our catchment area can register as a patient. no matter what their living arrangements are. We have links with local charities and organisations to ensure that the health needs of anyone experiencing difficult or temporary accommodation circumstances are met.

We are experienced at supporting people with a variety of learning difficulties, and their carers, and this includes a comprehensive proactive annual health check in addition to any routine requests.

Anyone who lives within our catchment area can register as a patient and receive care and support. We have doctors at the surgery with specific experience of supporting asylum seekers and refugees, or who speak different languages. We also work closely with the local Council to ensure that everyone living in the local area can access health services.

The surgery provides holistic care and support to patients experiencing short or long term mental health challenges. We work closely with the local specialist mental health services and run regular clinics. Our approach is always to consider both mental and physical health and to provide care for the whole person.

The surgery provides holistic care for people with a drug or alcohol dependency and we work closely with the local drug and alcohol services. There is a weekly clinic run by a drug worker who provides ongoing support.

We offer a range of clinics and services to help with cancer screening.

Macmillan Cancer Support

Have questions about cancer? Visit www.macmillan.org.uk or call 0808 808 000 free (Monday to Friday 9am – 8pm).

Bowel Cancer

Bowel cancer is a term used to describe cancer in the colon, rectum or the small bowel.

The symptoms of bowel cancer can include:

• Bleeding from the back passage (rectum) or blood in your stools
• A change in normal bowel habits to diarrhoea or looser stools, lasting longer than 4 to 6 weeks
• A lump that your doctor can feel in your back passage or abdomen (more commonly on the right side)
• A feeling of needing to strain in your back passage (as if you needed to pass a bowel motion)
• Losing weight
• Pain in your abdomen or back passage
• A lower than normal level of red blood cells (anaemia)

Because bowel tumours can bleed, cancer of the bowel often causes a shortage of red blood cells. This is called anaemia and may cause tiredness and sometimes breathlessness.

Bowel Cancer Screening

How do I get a screening kit?

If you are aged 60-69 years, you will be sent your screening invitation automatically through the post. All you need to do is make sure that your GP has your correct address.

‘People aged 70 years and over or under the age of 60, who wish to be screened, should request a kit. Simply telephone the free helpline on 0800 707 60 60.’

Breast Screening

The National Breast Screening Programme was introduced in 1988 as an early detection service for breast cancer. It states that all women who are aged between 50 – 70 years of age will be routinely invited for free breast screening every three years. The programme is very successful and currently saves around 1,400 lives per year.

Breast screening aims to find breast cancer at an early stage, often before there are any symptoms. To do this, an x-ray is taken of each breast (mammogram). Early detection may often mean simpler and more successful treatment. When women are invited for their mammogram depends on which GP they are registered with, not when their birthday is.

The screening office runs a rolling programme which invites women by area. The requirement is that all women will receive their first invitation before their 53rd birthday, but ideally when they are 50.  If you are under 50 and concerned about any aspect of breast care, please contact the surgery to make an appointment with your GP.

Useful links:

• West London Breast Screening

Cervical Screening Test

Cervical screening, or smear test, is a method of detecting abnormal (pre-cancerous) cells in the cervix in order to prevent cervical cancer. The cervix is the entrance to the womb from the vagina. Cervical screening is recommended every three years for women aged 25 to 49 and every five years for women aged 50 to 64 or more frequently if smear results indicates abnormal changes.

Cervical screening is not a test for cancer; it is a test to check the health of the cells of the cervix. Most women’s test results show that everything is normal, but for 1 in 20 women the test will show some abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix.

Most of these changes will not lead to cervical cancer and the cells may go back to normal on their own. However, in some cases, the abnormal cells need to be treated to prevent them becoming cancerous.

Our nurses are qualified to carry out cervical screening and tests in the form of cervical smears. In order to have a cervical smear the patient must have received a letter requesting that they have a cervical smear and the appointment must please be made for when the patient is not menstruating.

These appointments typically take around 15 minutes. For any further information or to book an appointment, please call the surgery.

Useful links

• NHS Choices – Cervical Screening
• Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust