Clinics & Services

Advice and treatments available from healthcare professionals within the Practice include:

• Annual Review Clinics – Patients with multiple medical conditions will be offered an annual appointment.  By offering you an appointment when all your medical conditions may be reviewed, we aim to reduce the inconvenience which you may experience when you receive a number of invitations throughout the year.
• Asthma and COPD Monitoring – The Respiratory Nurse is available to perform asthma and COPD checks on everyone who suffers from these conditions.  We recommend that you see your Respiratory Nurse at least once a year for information, inhaler checks or just general advice.
• Blood Pressure Checks – If you suffer from hypertension we like you to come in six monthly for a blood pressure check, and to have a yearly blood test.  Patients will have their blood pressure checked at various other times, e.g. New Patient Checks, when presenting for a smear or family planning, etc.  If you do not have a diagnosis of hypertension and haven’t had your blood pressure checked for three years, you may make an appointment with a Healthcare Assistant for this to be done.
• Cardiovascular disease screening – Annual check-ups are performed on all our coronary heart disease, stroke and TIA (mini-stroke) patients.
• Carer’s Support – As a Practice we want to ensure that support is available to carers, and that plans to develop new carers’ services by Health and Social Services in Torbay are based on a good picture of carers’ needs.  Our Carers’ Support Worker is available to help carers obtain the help and information they need, and set up additional local support opportunities, such as Time Out Carers Afternoons, based on their knowledge and experience of our carers’ needs.
• Cervical Screening – Cervical screening, more commonly known as the smear test, is important as it is able to detect conditions that could develop into cancer.  If these conditions are found in good time, treatment is straightforward and almost always effective.  The NHS screening service invites all women aged between 25 and 50 for three yearly screening, and women between the ages of 51-64 for five yearly screening.  Please discuss these tests with your GP or Practice Nurse, who will advise you if a smear test is appropriate.
• Child Health Clinics & developmental checks – The Health Visitor runs Child Health Clinics on Friday mornings at the Windmill Centre, Pendennis Road, Torquay from 9:30am – 11:30am (Please note the clinic does NOT run on the 2nd Friday of each month).  These are drop-in sessions for advice and contact.  Childhood developmental checks are performed at 8 weeks, 8 months and 2 years by the Health Visitor Team.
• Children’s Immunisations – There are very few conditions that are contraindications to immunisation, and we strongly recommend that all children are fully immunised.
• Diabetes monitoring – A Practice Nurse who specialises in diabetes sees all diabetic patients.  All diabetic patients are offered regular appointments, where weight, blood pressure, urine and blood are checked.  There is also an opportunity to discuss diet, medication and home monitoring.  Feet and legs are examined annually to check circulation, and injection sites are examined if on insulin.  Vision is checked by the Torbay Retinal Screener every year.
• Dietary advice – Dietary advice is provided by the Practice Nurse for weight loss, cholesterol lowering, diabetes, etc.  Referral can be made to a Dietician for specialist advice if necessary.
• Family planning / Sexual health advice – As a Practice we are actively involved with all aspects of family planning and have three Nurses who have undergone specialist training in this field.    We offer a service for fitting coils, including the Mirena progesterone coil, and we prescribe emergency contraception.  We are also able to provide advice regarding sexual health.
• Hormone Replacement Therapy – We offer appointments where you can find out more about the menopause and HRT.  Booking an appointment does not mean that you will automatically be put on HRT, but it will give you the opportunity to ask questions in order that an informed choice may be made.
• Influenza immunisation – Influenza is responsible for many deaths and much disability each year.  We have an active programme of annual influenza immunisation and the Doctors strongly recommend immunisation for those most at risk.  You may require influenza immunisation if you are 65 or over, have chest or heart trouble, are diabetic, have kidney disease, are taking certain medicines, have low immunity, have a longstanding disease, or are in a residential or nursing home. Please contact the surgery in the middle of September for Flu Clinic times.  Ask your Doctor for advice if you are unsure.
• Mental health counselling – If you wish to discuss any difficulties please make an appointment with a Doctor in the first instance, who will be able to advise you on the best way forward.
• Minor operations – Minor surgery can often be carried out by the Doctors at the surgery.  Please make an appointment to discuss this with your GP.
• Pneumococcal vaccine – The pneumococcal vaccine is offered to all patients over the age of 65, and also to those with chronic disease.
• Sexual Health Services – Two Doctors and Two Nurses have a particular interest in sexual health and after further training are now able to offer a full sexual health service for men, women and teenagers including HIV testing.
• Specialist Nurse Service – Our Specialist Nurse Service aims to complement and support the services already provided by the Practice and Community Nurses.  It provides a system of care for those patients with long-term illnesses who may have difficulty accessing services at the surgery, and whose needs may be more appropriately met within the home environment.
• Tetanus immunisation – Usually five immunisations of tetanus vaccine provide lifelong protection, and cover will normally be achieved by routine immunisations by the age of 16 years.  Many adults born before 1950 will never have received this vaccine, in which case a course of three injections at monthly intervals is strongly recommended.  Please ask your Doctor or Nurse if you think you might need a course or a booster.
• Travel advice / immunisation – Usually five immunisations of tetanus vaccine provide lifelong protection, and cover will normally be achieved by routine immunisations by the age of 16 years.  Many adults born before 1950 will never have received this vaccine, in which case a course of three injections at monthly intervals is strongly recommended.  Please ask your Doctor or Nurse if you think you might need a course or a booster.