Broadway Medical Centre

CLINICS

Antenatal Clinic

This is held on Wednesday afternoons using an appointment system and is run by midwives.

Childhood Immunisation And Well Baby Clinics

Doctors and health visitors run these clinics on Wednesday afternoons. The health authority will send parents reminders of when their child should attend for childhood vaccinations and routine development checks.

Postnatal Examinations

We will write to you to make an appointment with a nurse in one of our routine surgeries.

Cervical Smears

We strongly recommend that women aged between 25 and 64 have a routine cervical smear (every three years between 25-49 and every five years between 50-64). Clinics are held on various days and are run by a practice nurse. In exceptional circumstances smears can be carried out by Dr Kirk.

Family Planning

A full range of contraceptive services and advice is available at these twice-weekly clinics that are run by a qualified practice nurse. For urgent matters, she may be able to see you in a routine surgery.

Patients wanting coils or caps fitted will need to see Dr Kirk.

Note: The following clinics are run by trained, qualified staff. Patients attending them should not normally need to also see a doctor for that condition. If there are any problems with your condition, the nurse running the clinic will arrange for you to see a GP.

Diabetic Clinics

A practice nurse runs these with the aim being to improve and maintain control of the condition by giving patients a better understanding of their condition and its management.

Asthma Clinics

These are run by a practice nurse qualified in the care of patients with this condition. Those attending will gain an understanding of the different inhalers and how and when to use them. Other medication will be kept under review to help the patient maintain as normal a lifestyle as possible.

Ischaemic Heart Disease Clinics

A suitably qualified practice nurse runs these. The aim is to monitor patients who have heart problems and give them guidance about their lifestyles in order to minimise any long-term impact upon their health.

Hypertension Clinics

For patients on medication for high blood pressure.
The aim is to improve and maintain control of their condition. If there are any problems with your condition, the nurse running the clinic will arrange for you to see a GP.

Adult Immunisations

1 Travel: Many people travelling abroad will require vaccinations. Please make an appointment to see the practice nurse approximately eight weeks before you are due to travel.

2 Tetanus: All adults should be immunised against tetanus and receive a booster dose every ten years. Ensure that you remain up to date by making an appointment to see the practice nurse.

3 Flu: We operate an appointment-based flu vaccination programme each winter. Contact the surgery in September if we haven't already written to you.

We recommend that flu vaccinations for patients within the following groups is advisable:

- Aged 65 and over.

- Heart problems (eg angina), chest problems (eg asthma, bronchitis), diabetes, kidney problems.

- Main carers.

- Living in nursing or rest homes.

Medical Examinations

These include examinations for employment, insurance, elderly driving, PSV/HGV, etc. Please enquire at reception for details.

As these types of examinations are outside the scope of the NHS, a fee will usually be payable at the time of the appointment.

Health Promotion

We encourage all of our patients to share responsibility for their health, both in preventing disease and in treating existing diseases. Prevention really is better than cure. Many of the most serious diseases can be prevented by a healthy lifestyle and without the need for drugs. Please feel free to discuss general health and your lifestyle and ask for advice.

Below are some of the ways that can help you to live not only a longer, but also fitter and more enjoyable life.

Smoking

This is the single largest preventable cause of ill health in this country. It is a major cause of cancer, heart and chest diseases. If you would like advice and help on giving up, please ask. The statistics are frightening:

A man aged 50 who smokes 20 a day is four times more likely to die from heart disease than a non-smoker of the same age. Lung cancer kills 38,000 people in the UK each year. Each cigarette shortens your life by five to six minutes. It makes your children ill (twice as likely to get ear and chest infections). NONE OF THE DOCTORS IN THIS PRACTICE SMOKES.

Diet

A healthy diet not only helps weight control but also reduces blood cholesterol and helps prevent heart attacks. Eat less sugar, fat and salt and drink less alcohol. Eat more fibre, fish and white meat.

Exercise

Regular exercise helps prevent heart disease as well as reducing weight and making you feel better. If you are overweight or out of shape please ask for advice before starting vigorous exercise.

• It helps reduce weight
  
• It helps reduce stress
  
• It makes you feel and look better
  

Once you have found a form of exercise you enjoy, do it:

• Often enough - two or three times a week for 20-30 minutes
  
• Hard enough - to make you fairly breathless
  
• Long enough - it must become part of your life for good
  

Remember, if you are not used to exercise start slowly and build up gradually. Both doctors and nurses will be happy to advise you and your family about these important changes. Why not come to a Well Man/Well Woman Clinic?

Stamina Rating

Helping Yourself

It is much better to keep yourself healthy rather than fall ill and need medical care, so look after yourself:

• Eat a healthy, balanced diet
  
• Don't drink excessively
  
• Take regular exercise
  
• Find ways to reduce or avoid stress
  
• For men - perform regular examinations of the testicles, have your cholesterol checked
  
• For women - have regular cervical smears, perform regular breast examinations
  
• BE MODERATE
  
• Maintain a healthy body weight
  
• Have your blood pressure checked
  
• Avoid (or stop) smoking
  

Both the nurses and the doctors would be pleased to discuss these matters with you. To help us measure the outcome we need your help to collect valuable data on all patients aged 15 to 74. Please help us help you by completing questionnaires in the waiting rooms or with your doctor or nurse when you see them.

Healthcare/Lifestyle

The Health Of The Nation

The Government has produced a series of targets contained in their publication The Health Of The Nation which have been taken up locally to guide us on how to improve health, not least of which...

Heart Attack And Stroke

To reduce the death rate in people under 65 by 40%.
To reduce the death rate from heart attacks in people 65 to 74 by 30%.
To reduce the death rate from strokes in people 65 to 74 by 40%.

Please Help Your Doctor

Did you know GPs are no longer required to countersign your passport or driving licence application form? Opticians, dentists, civil servants, religious ministers, bank and building society officials and many other professionals can also do this for you.

Did you know you don't need a sicknote if you are off work for less than seven days? You can self-certify - contact your personnel office at work for details.

Don't forget you don't always need an appointment with your GP for advice on coughs, colds or minor health problems - you can see the practice nurse or local pharmacy instead.

For general health advice and information go to:

• www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
  
• NHS Direct Interactive on digital satellite TV by pressing the interactive button on your remote control
  
• The NHS Direct self-help guide at the back of your Thomson Local directory
  
• NHS Direct on 0845 4647
  
• Your nearest NHS Walk-in Centre