Surgery clinics

Do you think your child may have ADHD/Autism or challenging behaviour?

The Suffolk Neurodevelopmental Pathway is now live for all new referrals regarding possible Autism, ADHD and/or behaviours that challenge. This is the only route of referral for Neurodevelopmental challenges and/or difficulties up to the age of 18 and all referrals should be discussed with the School, where an onward referral can be made.

One of the key priorities of the pathway is that it is a ‘needs led’ approach with access to support with or without a diagnosis. Other features of the new pathway:

• Makes support for families a priority
• Provides support at the point of need
• Provides support through the third sector
• Introduces a Coordination Function for single point of access of referrals
• Reviews Clinical pathways

To self-refer

Here is a link, which provides information about the new changes regarding the new NDD pathway (Neurodevelopment).

Please visit Suffolk Infolink via www.infolink.suffolk.gov.uk.

You will need to ask a professional who knows your child well to help you with this.
The professional (key worker) could be a:

• School or education staff e.g SENCo, School nurse or alternatively one person from below (who knows your child well)
• A professional from a voluntary service you are receiving help from
• A social worker
• A mental health worker
• Any clinician or allied health professional that has personal knowledge of the issues your child is struggling with.

If you have any queries or need to contact the surgery further about the completion of your referral then please raise an AskmyGP request.

Breast related issues – screening service (for patients aged 16+ only)

If you are experiencing any form of issue with your breasts (lumps, pain, discharge etc.) whether you are male or female, you can complete a self-referral form that will go to the breast screening team at Ipswich Hospital.

This service is currently being piloted and only available to some Ipswich practices. Please go to Ask My GP and click on the breast problems self-referral custom action (this form is available 24/7), the dedicated team at Ipswich Hospital will then triage your request and typically respond within 24hrs.

Cervical screening is offered to all women and people with a cervix between the ages of 25-64. It is usually a quick test which can detect the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). It is not a test for cancer but it does help to prevent cancer.

Before the test, the nurse will tell you what they are going to do and give you the opportunity to ask any questions. They will then ask you to remove your trouser/skirt and underwear. If you are wearing a dress you can leave this on. Once you have undressed, you will be asked to lay on the couch. A small piece of paper should be offered for you to have over your lap and to cover yourself over. When you are ready, the nurse will then tell you how they need to you lay on the couch. They will then insert a speculum into your vagina to allow them to see your cervix. Sometimes your cervix can be tricky to find and while this is usually a quick test, it can take a bit longer for the nurse to find your cervix and this can be completely normal!

The test can be uncomfortable and, in some cases, painful. We will do what we can to make you as comfortable as possible throughout the procedure. If it is too painful and you would like the nurse to stop, you can ask them to stop at any time. Even if it is not painful but you want the procedure to end, then you can say at any point and the nurse will stop. It’s important to remember that it is your body and you are in control. Once the test is done, the nurse will tell you that you can get dressed. They will provide you with a sanitary towel, if you would like one. Sometimes spotting can occur following cervical screening – this is normal.

Results

You will receive your results through the post and they will send you a letter no matter what your results are.

If your results are normal, you will be invited back for routine cervical screening in 3 years if you are aged between 25 and 49 and 5 years if you are aged between 50 and 64 years. If your results come back HPV positive with no cell changes, you will be invited back in 12 months’ time for a repeat cervical screening. This is to check whether or not your immune system has got rid of the HPV on its own. HPV can and does go away by itself usually within 1 to 2 years.

If your results come back HPV positive and there are cervical cell changes, then you will be referred to a part of the gynaecology department called colposcopy. You will normally be seen here with a few months. At colposcopy, a specialist nurse or doctor will examine your cervix in greater detail and if necessary, they can do extra tests or treatment.

Extra support

If you require any extra support then The Very Important Invitation Project are here for you. We have a wealth of information, tips and advice on our social media pages. Our nurses are also on hand to offer 1:1 support to those who need it. This can be text messaging, phone calls or a visit (at your home or somewhere you feel comfortable) where we can show you the equipment used for cervical screening and to answer any questions or talk to you about the procedure and what to expect. We can even attend your appointment with you if that is what you would like – we really will support you as much or as little as you would like. We will support anyone with a cervix to access cervical screening.

We are available Monday to Friday via email, social media and phone details of which can be found via our linktree page.

• Very important invitation project poster (PDF)

If you are 18 and over and experiencing issues with your eyes (red eye, conjunctivitis, dry eye etc.), then please contact the community eye care service on 0800 112 0070 who are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and are based at 13 St Helens House, 13 St Helens Street, Ipswich, IP4 1HE.

You can visit their website www.evolutio-ophthalmology.co.uk/ipswich.

If they ask for a reference number, please advise 112, although this isn’t needed.

They are able to assist with any eye issues with the exception of cataract and are able to refer directly to the hospital.

The long term medical conditions clinic is an innovative approach to the way the practice cares for its patients with long term conditions (asthma, stroke, hypertension, COPD, coronary heart disease).

It allows us to recall patients to have their conditions and medication reviewed in a more efficient way. The clinics are set up to reduce the need for patients to make multiple visits to see the practice nurse or doctor.

The LTC clinics are run by the heathcare assistants (HCA), practice nurses and doctors all working together.

If you have a smart phone, we can arrange for you to be sent a URL link that is valid for 7 days that allows you click on a drop down to show available dates, so you can book the clinic directly.

If you do not have a smart phone, you can click on the annual review, invite received custom action button (which remains open, even if the main system is closed) and one of our care navigators will call to book you an appointment.

We are asked to do many medical reports every week for various agencies, including:

• Insurance companies
• Social services
• Benefits agency
• DVLA
• The armed forces

As these reports are not funded by the NHS we are obliged to charge a fee. Please note we have a 28 day working turnaround for all requests.

For more information about non-NHS work, please visit our non-NHS work page.

The prevalence of mental health issues and stress related conditions within the UK is high.

The fact is that GPs and nurses see a very large number of people with mental health issues ranging from mild depression or anxiety all the way through to more serious conditions and are very experienced at putting patients at ease.

Your GP will be able to refer you to an appropriate specialist service if you require further treatment.

The practice is able to treat basic minor injuries between 8am and 6:30pm.

At any other time you can call 111 when you need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency.

We can treat minor injuries that patients cannot manage themselves.

These include:

• Cuts, grazes and lacerations
• Minor eye infections, foreign bodies and scratches
• Infected wounds
• Minor scalds and burns
• Sprains and strains

If you have been requested by the practice or the hospital to have your bloods taken, please contact Landseer Road Phlebotomy clinic or Ipswich Hospital pathology department on 0300 303 5299 to book an appointment or you can book online at www.esneft.nhs.uk/service/bloodtests.

Note you can only book an appointment at the phlebotomy clinic if the practice or hospital have arranged for your blood forms to be added to ICE (clinical IT system), or if you have been given a hard copy of the form.

Are you experiencing a new muscularskeletal problem (pains in limbs/back/ neck etc.) then you can self refer directly to NHS physiotherapy.

Self referral to physiotherapy is possible by visiting www.ahpsuffolk.co.uk and clicking on “refer yourself to physiotherapy”, or use this link www.physioselfrefer.co.uk or call on 03330 433966.

Suffolk Podiatry is pleased to announce that patients can directly refer themselves via their online platform. For those who find technology challenging, they are now offering a telephone referral option. The self-referral platform allows patients to receive targeted packages of self-care advice whilst ensuring those patients at the highest risk of serious foot health complications receive the care they need.

How to self refer to Suffolk podiatry

Online
www.podiatryselfrefer.co.uk/sfed

Phone
0333 043 3966, option 1

For any patient who has a smartphone who has been asked to book an appointment for any of the below reasons, you will be sent a URL link that allows you to book directly into the clinics. The URL link is valid for 7 days from the date this has been sent. You will be able to use the drop down function to select more dates:

• Annual review (excluding respiratory reviews)
• Asthma review
• Cervical smears
• COPD review
• NHS healthchecks
• Pneumococcal or shingles vaccination

For anyone who does not have a mobile phone, or does not own a smartphone, or requires language line you can still contact the surgery as normal, however we will arrange for one of our care navigators to call to arrange an appointment for you.

Both men and women need to look after their sexual health and take time to understand the issues that surround contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The surgery provides a range of sexual health services which can be accessed in the first instance by booking an appointment with the practice nurse. You can book an appointment via AskmyGP choosing the custom action button for nurse and HCA appointments (this remains open, even if the main system is closed).

If you have been requested by a clinician to have support stockings, then please read the below guidance on how to measure your legs:

Please note that the district nurses will only measure for support stockings for housebound patients who require a doppler check (class two stockings). If you have been instructed to have support stockings, you will need to find out from this clinician whether these are class one or class two.

If you need class two stockings, we will arrange for a referral to be sent to the district nurse team who will come out to measure and perform a doppler.

If it is for class one stockings, whereby a doppler is not needed, then you can ask carers/family/friends to measure your legs. The link below has details of how to measure. It is recommended you measure legs ideally before 10am.

Website
www.lohmann-rauscher.co.uk

Did you know there is a service available for our patients called Sleepstation which is a digitally cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi), which you could benefit from. There is no waiting list for this service, so there is a link below that allows you to self-refer.

Once you have referred, you should hear back from the Sleepstation service within 2 working days. The practice will also receive a notification of the referral being accepted.

If for any reason your referral is rejected (as there are some exclusions i.e. shift workers who may not benefit from the service, insomnia linked to pregnancy etc.), the service will make you aware, in which case you can raise an AskmyGP request, so we can discuss next steps to support you.

Website
www.sleepstation.org.uk

Thinking of travelling at the last minute? Hoping to book a fantastic deal on the internet, or get a bargain at the travel agents?

That would be great but please remember, we do not have last minute appointments.

You should attend the surgery at least 6 to 8 weeks before departure. Although during the main peak summer holiday season May to August, due to the demand for this service (and because our staff will also have annual leave commitments), please ensure you allow longer that 8 weeks so we are able to see you before you travel.

You can complete an AskmyGP request or send an email to cardinal.medicalpractice@nhs.net (ensure you confirm your mobile number) and a member of our team will send you an electronic questionnaire to you for completion and return.

You will need to have a smart phone in order for this questionnaire to work, alternatively if you do not have a smart phone, you can attend one of the sites to collect a paper form, but this completed form should be returned to our Chesterfield Drive site (as this is where the nurses who review the forms are based).

Fear of flying

GPs are no longer able to prescribe diazepam for fear of flying. There are many reasons for this:

• Diazepam is a sedative, which means this medication would make you feel sleepy and more relaxed. If there was an emergency during the flight, this could impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions, or react to the situation. This could seriously affect the safety of you and the people around you.
• Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however, when you sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means your movements during sleep are reduced and this can place you at an increased risk of developing blood clots (DVT). These blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk further increases if your flight is over 4 hours long.
• Although most people respond to benzodiazepines like Diazepam with sedation, a small proportion experience the opposite effect and can become aggressive. They can also lead to disinhibition and make you behave in ways you normally wouldn’t. This could also impact on your safety and the safety of your follow passengers.
• National prescribing guidelines followed by GPs also don’t allow the use of benzodiazepines in cases of phobia. Any GP prescribing diazepam for a fear of flying would be taking a significant legal risk as this goes against these guidelines. Benzodiazepimes are only licensed for short-term use in a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the problem you suffer with, you should seek proper care and support for your mental health and it would not be advisable to go on a flight.
• In some countries Diazepam is illegal, so may be confiscated or you find yourself in trouble with the local authorities.

Instead please speak to your local pharmacy who can discuss with you Bachs Rescue Remedies which you can purchase over the counter.

Alternatively you can also find further support for fear of flying by visiting www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/general-travel-health-advice/air-travel#FearofFlying.