Clinics & Services

We provide a comprehensive range of services to our patients in a friendly and efficient setting.  These include:

• Chronic Disease Management Programmes including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and hypertension.
• Maternity Care
• Child Health Surveillance
• Travel Advice and Immunisations
• Treatment Room services including blood and urine tests, ECGs and dressings 
• Positive Steps counselling service  
• Liquid Nitrogen for minor skin lesions
• New Patient Health Checks
• Cervical Screening
• NHS Health Checks for patients aged 40 - 74
• Private Medical Services for services not funded by the NHS such as medicals, licence applications or private sick notes
• 24 Hour Blood Pressure Monitoring
• 24 Hour ECG Monitoring
• Blood Pressure Checks (including a self measurement machine in the waiting room)
• Warfarin Monitoring  
• Spirometry
• Crossroads Care are available in the Health Centre between 1 and 2.30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month.

Maternity Care

If you are pregnant the Portishead Midwives will be delighted to see you in order to plan your ante-natal care. This will involve taking your medical history and also that of your partner and families. We will give you details of screening tests that are available and also provide general advice about the do's and don't of pregnancy. 

All this should take up to an hour. We will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time between 8 and 10 weeks of pregnancy. A dating scan and nuchal translucency ultrasound (for Down's Syndrome risk) will be offered at 10-13 weeks of pregnancy. 

Please pick up a pregnancy information pack from reception. This contains important information about the antenatal screening programme and screening tests for your newborn baby.There is also a registration form that needs to be completed and returned to the midwives as soon as you are aware you are pregnant. It is important to do so otherwise they will not be able to contact you and important screening tests may be missed. 

If you have any queries or worries, we are happy to talk to you. You can contact us during surgery hours; please leave a message on the answer machine if we are not available. Phone the surgery number (01275 841630) and choose option 3.

The midwives look forward to meeting you soon.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PREGNANCY AND NHS MATERNITY SERVICES

NHS Health Checks

The NHS Health Check programme aims to help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and certain types of dementia. Everyone between the ages of 40 and 74, who has not already been diagnosed with one of these conditions or has certain risk factors, will be invited (once every five years) to have a check to assess their risk of developing these conditions. If identified to be at a higher risk than average you will be given support and advice to help reduce or manage that risk.

http://www.healthcheck.nhs.uk/

• If you have been invited for a health check we would appreciate it if you could complete our health questionnaire and bring it with you to your appointment. Please click here for the questionnaire.

• A copy of the invitation letter can be viewed here

Travel Vaccinations

If you require vaccination or malaria prophylaxis relating to foreign travel you need to make an appointment with a travel nurse to discuss your arrangements. You will need to know which countries and areas within countries that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required. Please read the Travel Information Leaflet below before coming to your appointment.

Travel Information Leaflet

Please make the initial appointment as early as possible - at least 6 weeks before you travel - as more than one appointment may be required. Some vaccines have to be ordered in as they are not held in stock. Vaccines that are not part of the usual vaccination schedule in the UK are not funded by the NHS and will have to be paid for. The nurse will discuss any charges that may apply. 

Your final appointment needs to be at least 2 weeks before you travel to allow the vaccines to work effectively. The nurse will provide travel health advice and issue malaria prophylaxis prescriptions if needed (at a cost of £15 per prescription - this does not include the cost of the drug which will be levied by the pharmacy that issues it).

For further information on the vaccination and malaria prophylaxis requirements for differing parts of the world see links below

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

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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. Please visit:- 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. Examples include the following:

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  Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)

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  Insurance claim forms

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  Passport signing

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  Prescriptions for taking medication abroad

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  Private sick notes

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  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 appointment availability.