YOUR HEALTH

Free NHS Health Checks are a National Scheme to try to help prevent the onset of various cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure, ischaemic heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and diabetes. Please read the attached National leaflet which explains the check.

The target group for these checks is the 40-74 age group who are not already known to suffer from cardiovascular disease.

Patients are being invited to make appointments for these checks. If you are in the target group you will receive an invitation by post which will include a pre-check questionnaire (please complete this before attending). This is a large group – please be patient awaiting your invite.

The first appointment will include various measurements and a blood test. When all the results are available you will have a follow up appointment when you will receive personalised advice regarding your health. Any treatments and necessary follow ups will be arranged at this time.

We work closely with our Health Visitor team to ensure the ongoing health of children.

New babies will be seen by the Health Visitors and an appointment for a eight week baby check with on of the GPs will automatically be made and sent to you. Should you have concerns regarding your baby the Health Visitors are often a very good source of information and guidance.

Baby drop in clinics run at Poplar Road Surgery in Kings Heath. There is no need to make an appointment for these clinics.

The Health Visitors can also issue ‘Healthy Start’ vitamins for both mum and for your baby.

All appropriate childhood immunisations are coordinated and carried out by the nursing team at the practice. Full details of these can be found in your baby’s ‘Red Book’. If you think that any immunisations have been missed please contact the surgery and we will be able to check this for you.

If you have been diagnosed with a long term condition/illness it is important that you continue to be monitored to ensure that you are getting the most up to date treatment and getting the most out of you medication.

Such monitoring will take place at the surgery, at hospital out patients or a combination of the two. If you are being seen at hospital we will do our best to avoid duplicating reviews as we are very aware that this can take up your valuable time. However, we are aware that many patients who are seen in hospitals also benefit from review in General Practice as these can address other issues and may clarify matters. We will not exclude you from reviews with the surgery just because you have been seen in an outpatient clinic.

We normally request that all patients on regular/long term medications are reviewed on an annual basis. There may be some variations to this with your specific condition and you should be guided by the nurse or doctor.

We understand that with busy lives such things may be overlooked. Your review date is on the ‘repeats side’ of your prescriptions and should be aligned with your birthday.

There are various ways in which we will contact you for recall regarding long term conditions. Please ensure that we have the correct phone number to contact you on.

There may be times where we contact you via email, if you would like us to contact you in this way please submit your email address. We will not pass your email address on to any third party and will treat it with the same level of confidentiality as we do all your other personal details. The same levels of confidentiality and security apply if we use any mailing/survey services.

A lot of the monitoring of long term conditions is now undertaken by nurses both in hospital  and in general practice. At Wake Green Surgery the Doctors and nursing teams work closely together and any queries/concerns will be shared across the teams. Often plans regarding treatment will have been made and discussed prior you coming for review especially if you have had preliminary blood tests.

Certain doctors within the practice have specific areas of expertise regarding the various long term conditions and on occasion you may be asked to see one of these for a review.

We offer a comprehensive range of services for Women’s Health.

Cervical Smear Testing

This is a very important program offered to women aged 25 – 64. Smear tests, or cervical screening as you might often hear it referred to by your nurse or doctor, is the term used to describe the way in which we check for any abnormal cells in your cervix (which is the neck of your womb).

If changes are found, they can be quickly treated to ensure they don’t turn into anything more serious like cervical cancer. This test is vitally important because regular tests can significantly reduce your chance of getting cervical cancer.

We operate a recall system which means that you will automatically be contacted when your smear is due – this will transfer with you if you move from one GP surgery to another.

For further information please click here.

Contraception

We offer a full range of contraception services.

Emergency contraception:

Emergency contraception is available from the surgery. It can be used up to 5 days after sex, but it’s more effective the sooner you take it.

There are two different pills that are available or you may be able to be fitted with an emergency intrauterine device (IUD) though this service is not always available in surgery.

If you require emergency contraception please speak to a receptionist who will usually arrange for you to speak to a doctor on the telephone.

If you are unable to get to the surgery or if we are not open you can also get the emergency contraception from local pharmacies (though this is only the emergency contraceptive pill which is effective up to 3 days after sex), NHS Walk in Centres (City Centre or Selly Oak) or from a Brook Centre (for up to 25s). Emergency contraception is NOT available from the out of hours GP service.

Routine contraception:

Condoms are available at reception

Hormonal methods – please make an appointment to see Nurse Debbie for guidance on the contraceptive pill (combined and progesterone only) contraceptive patches, contraceptive  implants (eg.Implanon/Nexplanon), contraceptive injections and hormone containing intrauterine system (IUS eg Mirena).

Intrauterine contraceptive devices – IUCDs  (coils) – Please discuss these with our Practice Nurse.

Our Flu Vaccine clinics are available during September and October for eligible patients.

For most people, flu is unpleasant but not serious. You will usually recover within a week or so (though symptoms may persist for considerably longer than this).

Flu is a viral illness and as such antibiotics are ineffective and not indicated.

Certain people are at greater risk of developing serious complications of flu, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. These conditions may require hospital treatment.

The flu vaccine is offered free to people who are at risk, to protect them from catching flu and developing serious complications.

At-risk groups:

It is recommended that you have a flu jab if you:

• are 65 years old or over
• are pregnant (see below)
• have a serious medical condition (see below)
• are living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility (not including prisons, young offender institutions or university halls of residence)
• are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill
• are a frontline health or social care worker (see below)

If you are the parent of a child who is over six months old and has a long-term condition on the list of medical conditions  below, speak to your GP about the flu vaccine. Your child’s condition may get worse if they catch flu.

Children WITHOUT long-term conditions

Children are being routinely immunised, this is being done using a nasal spray. If your child is 2 or 3 years old then they can be immunised. These immunisations ARE NOT being done in the walk-in clinics – please speak to reception who can book you an appropriate appointment.

Pregnant women

It is recommended that all pregnant women should have the flu vaccine, whatever stage of pregnancy they’re in. This is because there is good evidence that pregnant women have an increased risk of developing complications if they get flu, particularly from the H1N1 strain.

Studies have shown that the flu vaccine can be safely and effectively given during any trimester of pregnancy. The vaccine does not carry risks for either the mother or baby. In fact, studies have shown that mothers who have had the vaccine while pregnant pass some protection to their babies, which lasts for the first few months of their lives.

People with medical conditions

The flu vaccine is offered free to anyone who is over six months of age and has one of the following medical conditions:

• chronic (long-term) respiratory disease, such as severe asthma, COPD or bronchitis
• chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
• chronic kidney disease
• chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
• chronic neurological disease, such as a stroke,TIA or post-polio syndrome
• diabetes
• a weakened immune system due to conditions such as HIV, or treatments that suppress the immune system such as chemotherapy

There may be conditions not listed above when it would be appropriate for you to have a flu jab – if you are in any doubt please ask.

If you live with someone who has a weakened immune system, you may also be able to have a flu vaccine. Speak to your GP about this.

Frontline health or social care workers

Employers are responsible for ensuring that arrangements are in place for frontline healthcare staff to have the flu vaccine. Outbreaks of flu can occur in health and social care settings, and staff, patients and residents are at risk of infection. Frontline health and social care staff should protect themselves by having the flu vaccine to prevent the spread of flu to colleagues and other members of the community.

If you care for someone who is elderly or disabled, speak to your GP about getting vaccinated against seasonal flu. You should also ensure that the person you care for has the flu jab.

Myth – the flu vaccine gives you flu
No, it doesn’t. The injected flu vaccine given to adults contains inactivated flu viruses, so it can’t give you flu. Your arm may feel a bit sore where you were injected, and some people get a slight temperature and aching muscles for a couple of days afterwards. Other reactions are very rare. Read more about how the injected flu vaccine works. The children’s nasal spray flu vaccine contains live but weakened flu viruses that will not give your child flu.

Myth – flu is just like having a heavy cold
A bad bout of flu is much worse than a heavy cold. Flu symptoms come on suddenly and sometimes severely. They include fever, chills, headaches and aching muscles, as well as a cough and sore throat. You’re likely to spend two or three days in bed. If you get complications caused by flu, you could become seriously ill and have to go to hospital.

Myth – flu can be treated with antibiotics
No, it can’t. Flu is caused by viruses – antibiotics only work against bacteria. You may be prescribed antiviral medicines to treat your flu. Antivirals do not cure flu, but they can make you less infectious to others and reduce the length of time you may be ill. To be effective, antivirals have to be given within a day or two of your symptoms appearing. A bacterial infection may occur as a result of having the flu, in which case you may be given antibiotics.

Myth – once you’ve had the flu vaccine, you’re protected for life
No, you aren’t. The viruses that cause flu can change every year, so you need a vaccination that matches the new viruses each year. The vaccine usually provides protection for the duration of that year’s flu season.

Myth – I’m pregnant, so I shouldn’t have the flu jab because it will affect my baby
You should have the vaccine no matter what stage of pregnancy you’re in. If you’re pregnant, you could get very ill if you get flu, which could also be bad for your baby. Having the jab can also protect your baby against flu after they’re born and during the early months of life.

Myth – children can’t have the flu vaccine
Yes, they can! The nasal spray flu vaccine is recommended on the NHS for all healthy two- and three-year-olds – plus children in reception class, and school years one, two, three and four. In addition, children “at risk” of serious illness if they catch flu are eligible for a flu vaccine on the NHS. This includes children with a pre-existing illness, such as a respiratory or neurological condition, and children who are having treatment that weakens their immune system, such as chemotherapy. The flu vaccine is generally given as an injection to children aged six months to two years and as a nasal spray to children aged 2 to 17 years who have a long-term health condition. The flu vaccine isn’t suitable for babies under the age of six months.

Myth – I’ve had the flu already this autumn, so I don’t need the vaccination this year
You do need it if you’re in one of the “at risk” groups. As flu is caused by several viruses, the immunity you naturally developed will only protect you against one of them – you could go on to catch another strain, so it’s recommended you have the jab even if you’ve recently had flu. Also, what you thought was flu could have been something else.

Myth – if I missed having the flu jab in October, it’s too late to have it later in the year
No, it’s not too late. It’s better to have the flu vaccine as soon as it becomes available, usually in October, but it’s always worth getting vaccinated after this, even if there have already been outbreaks of flu.

Myth – vitamin C can prevent flu
No, it can’t. Many people think that taking daily vitamin C supplements will stop them getting flu, but there’s no evidence to prove this.

If you are in a target group and are yet to have your jab for this year please contact reception who can book you in.

It’s recommended that, for the time being, all pregnant women should get vaccinated against whooping cough (pertussis) when they are 16-32 weeks pregnant. This is a new recommendation, as there has been a sharp rise in the number of whooping cough cases in the UK.

Getting vaccinated while you’re pregnant may help to protect your baby from developing whooping cough in his or her first few weeks of life. The immunity you get from the vaccine will pass to your baby through the placenta. Babies are not vaccinated against whooping cough until they are two months old.

Your midwife should have informed you about the vaccination and arranged for this to be done at one of your routine antenatal visits. If you have not received the vaccine and are over 28 weeks pregnant please discuss this with your midwife.

Click here for further details.

Our Phlebotomists carry out most of the blood tests here at Wake Green Surgery. Blood tests can be booked at reception if they have been requested by a doctor. Blood tests may be required for the monitoring of your long term condition, as part of a health check or may have been requested by the doctor.

A blood test is when a sample of blood is taken for testing in a laboratory. Blood tests have a wide range of uses and are one of the most common types of medical test.

For example, a blood test can be used to:

• assess your general state of health
• confirm the presence of a bacterial or viral infection
• see how well certain organs, such as the liver and kidneys, are functioning
• screen for certain genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis.

What happens during a blood test?

Most blood tests are carried out at the surgery but some may have to be done at hospital under the supervision of a nurse, or in some cases, a doctor. A test usually involves placing a needle attached to a syringe into one of the blood vessels in the inside of your elbow or wrist. You will feel a sharp stabbing sensation as the needle goes in but this isn’t particularly painful. A sample of blood is then taken and the needle is removed. You will be given a cotton-wool pad to put pressure on the site of the injection, which stops any bleeding and should prevent bruising.

Most blood tests only take a few minutes to complete.

Recovery

Only a small amount of blood is taken during the test so you shouldn’t feel any significant after-effects. However, some people do feel dizzy and faint during and after the test. If this happens to you, tell the person carrying out the test so they can help you feel more comfortable. After a blood test, you may have a small bruised area on your skin where the needle went in. Occasionally, a larger area of bruising may appear. This can be because there was a lack of pressure at the site of the jab or the blood vessel was damaged by the needle.

Bruises can be painful but are usually harmless. However, tell our team if you frequently get bruises after having a blood test.

Measles isn’t trivial. It’s a very infectious, nasty illness which, in rare cases, can be fatal. About one in five children with measles experiences complications such as ear infections, diarrhoea and vomiting, pneumonia, meningitis and eye disorders. One in 10 children with measles ends up in hospital. There is no treatment for measles. Vaccination is the only way of preventing it.

It’s never too late for your children (or yourself) to ‘catch up’ with MMR vaccination if they/you missed it earlier. Children up to the age of 18 and adults without immunity should have a catch-up MMR vaccination

If you are unsure whether your children have been vaccinated against measles before, then go ahead and arrange to have them vaccinated again. It won’t hurt them to have the MMR vaccination a second or third time.

Adults who are unsure whether they’ve had measles or been vaccinated, particularly if they’re carers or work with children, can have the MMR vaccine on the NHS. Bear in mind that most adults born before 1970 are likely to be immune because they have probably been exposed to measles already.

Please speak to reception who will arrange an appropriate appointment for you.