Queens Medical Centre - The clinics and other services offered by our doctors surgery

Noticeboard

We are pleased to announce that Drs Sam Menon and Suresh Logarajah have now joined our practice team, this means that we now have a full complement of 6 GPs!

If your contact details have changed, please can you update Reception with the correct details for mobile, landline and email address if you have one. Can you also please ensure that you let Reception know if you are unhappy for us to text you.

Please note that all our telephone calls are recorded for training and security purposes.

Clinics & Services

Treatment Room

Experienced practice nurses are available in the treatment room for a wide range of services, including advice, dressings, removal of sutures, vaccinations and chronic disease management. Nurses are also available for minor illnesses. Please ask at reception for an appointment.

Family Planning

We offer appointments for all aspects of family planning and pre-conceptual advice with either the doctor or nurse - please ask at reception.

Child Health and Immunisation

Vaccinations are given by the nurses by appointment. It is very important we are able to offer your child protection against infectious diseases.

Diabetes

A clinic is run with the nurse in conjunction with the healthcare assistant. You will receive an annual review and the nurse will arrange additional appointments if required. For your annual diabetes check we require a blood test and urine sample 1 week before your review with the nurse.

Patients who have their own blood glucose-monitoring device are advised to bring their machine, test strips and any medication with them to the review appointment in order that it can be checked by the nurse.

Coronary Heart Disease Prevention asthma_inhaler

We are currently working to reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease and are targeting specific patients who are thought to be at greater risk of developing the disease - if you have a family history of heart disease or strokes, please let the doctor or nurse know.

If you suffer from chronic coronary conditions you may be called for an annual healthy heart review.

Asthma

We offer appointments with a specially trained practice nurse for the management of asthma. You should be reviewed at least once a year if you suffer from asthma and should bring all your current medications and inhalers to your appointment. Failure to attend regular asthma reviews may result in medications and inhalers being taken off your medications list.

Well Woman Checks

Appointments for cervical smears, HRT, contraception and the opportunity to discuss women's health are available throughout the week. Please ask for details at reception. North Devon offers routine cervical smears in accordance with national guidelines, with reminders being sent from the age of 20-65. However if you have any concerns, please ask to speak to one of the nurses. Although the nurses do not examine breasts they will teach you how to check yourself and the problems to identify.

Minor Surgery

Minor operations and treatment for certain conditions are undertaken at the surgery by specially trained GPs. In order to have a minor surgery procedure you must be reviewed by your GP who will make the necessary referral. Once you have been referred by your GP, an administrator will contact you with details of your appointment. Please note there is a long waiting list of up to 3 months to be seen.

Preventative Medicine

Advice on smoking, alcohol, obesity, heart disease prevention is available from the practice nurses - please make an appointment at reception.

Travel Vaccinations and Advice

Please make an appointment at reception to discuss your requirements at least six weeks before travelling.

Over 75 checks

We offer all patients over the age of 75 the opportunity of a routine check-up with the nurse - please ask at the reception for an appointment.

Warfarin/INR clinics

We offer regular blood testing clinics for patients on specialist warfarin treatment.

Attached Specialist Staff

Physiotherapy

We have a regular in-house physiotherapist who works with our patients. If you think you may need to see a physiotherapist please consult your GP who will arrange a referral to this service.

Maternity/Antenatal Clinics

The doctors provide maternity medical services and work closely with the community midwives. A system of shared care between the doctors and midwives is operated.

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 6 weeks before you travel - as a second appointment will be required with the practice nurse to actually receive the vaccinations. These vaccines have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine. Your second appointment needs to be at least 2 weeks before you travel to allow the vaccines to work.

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)

Teenagers

The practice is particularly interested in meeting the needs of teenagers and offers them a confidential service, and is willing to see them with or without a parent or friend.

For advice on all sorts of things:

www.teenagehealthfreak.org
www.likeitis.org
www.childline.org.uk
(Look under their ‘Help and Advice’ section)

For advice especially about stuff related to sex –

Sex and Young People
www.brook.org.uk

Non-NHS Services

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
Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
Private sick notes
Vaccination certificates

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales.

In order to process a Non-NHS service we require a written request with a consent form enclosed from the patient to release medical information. This request can come from a solicitor or company on your behalf and sent to us directly but must contain your consent.

Non-NHS work can take up to 8 weeks to complete. Please find below a link to a list of our fees. All non-NHS fees are regularly reviewed and subject to change, this list is not extensive and charges are agreed by the discretion of the Practice Manager.

Non-NHS Services Charges

NHS Referrals

DRSS Information

The Devon Referral Support Services ("DRSS") is a referral contact centre based locally with offices in both Newton Abbot and Plymouth.

DRSS supports the GP referral process from referrer to the patient’s first outpatient appointment. We offer patients a choice of location, date and time for their appointment, using the electronic referral system ‘Choose and Book’ to review the GP referral letter and triage against any agreed local pathways. Patients are offered choices of available services wherever possible.

The DRSS team covers all Devon and East Cornwall GP practices, this includes 127 surgeries, and a population of over 1.3 million people.

We also provide a Choose and Book Helpdesk for GP practices and patients to assist with any queries relating to a patients referral and services.

In England, under the NHS Constitution, patients ‘have the right to access consultant led non-emergency treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks, or for the NHS to take all reasonable steps to offer a range of alternative providers if this is not possible’.

Most patients also now have the right to choose which hospital provider they are referred to. This legal right, which was introduced in April 2009, lets patients choose from any hospital provider in England offering a suitable treatment that meets NHS standards and costs.

Patients can choose which hospital they are seen in according to what matters most to them, whether it's location, waiting times, reputation, clinical performance, visiting policies, parking facilities or other patients' comments.

A choice of hospital is available for most patients and in most circumstances. Exceptions include emergency and urgent services, cancer, maternity and mental health services. If you need to be seen urgently by a specialist (for example, if you have severe chest pain), you will be sent where you'll be seen most quickly.

Private Referrals

If you have private health insurance or wish to been privately at hospital, please inform your GP in your appointment who will then refer you to a consultant of your choosing if appropriate.

If you have a query concerning your referral please contact our Medical Secretary team to discuss this further by calling 01271 341 901.

Diabetic Retinal Screening

Those who suffer with diabetes should get their eyes checked regularly, this is known as retinal screening. Once a year specialist diabetic retinal screeners come to the surgery to screen diabetic patients' eyes.

Please see useful contact information below.

North and East Devon Retinal Screening Service
MDEC
Royal Devon & Exeter Foundation NHS Trust (Wonford)
Barrack Road
Exeter
EX2 5DW
Tel: 01392 403832 (for screening appointments at GP surgeries)
Tel: 01392 403820 (all other appointments and cancellations)
Email: mailto:eyescreening@rdeft.nhs.uk

AAA screening

If you are a male aged 65+ then you can have this simple test. Once a year specialist screeners come to the surgery to offer this service.

A free and quick scan can tell you if you have an abdominal aortic aneurysm. All men invited for screening are provided with a copy of the national Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening information leaflet which provides information about the condition, the screening programme, the test and the possible outcomes. This enables men to make an informed choice about whether or not to accept their invitation.

Please see useful contact information below.