NHS Advice on drinking recommends that men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day and women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day. "Regularly" means drinking every day or most days of the week.

The Alcohol Interventions Team (AIT) offers support, information, advice and signposting to individuals who drink above "safe" levels of alcohol for whatever reason. To book an initial appointment, please call 023 9284 1753.

Antenatal care is the care and help you receive from health professionals during the course of your pregnancy. It is important you take good care of your own health and that of your unborn baby during pregnancy.

As soon as you find out you are pregnant, you should get in touch with us to find out more information on the services and support that are available to you.

While it is commonly believed that depression only effects adults, around 10% of children in Great Britain aged between 5 and 16 have a recognisable mental disorder; with about 4% of children suffering from an emotional disorder such as anxiety or depression.

The problem for many is that depression is difficult to spot and often regarded as teenage mood swings. However, if your child is appearing to have an extreme emotional response to a life event or has lost interest in activities which previously interested them they may be suffering from an emotional disorder.

If you are worried about your child’s mental health please visit your GP, who will be able to offer a range of support to help both you and your child. There are a range of talking therapies which are highly effective in dealing with both short term and long term depression, for more information on these therapies please view the NHS Talking Therapy Guide.

One of the most important things that a parent can do for their child is to make sure that they have all their routine childhood vaccinations. It’s the most effective way of keeping them protected against infectious diseases.

Ideally, children should have their jabs at the right age to protect them as early as possible and minimise the risk of infection.

Find out which jabs your child needs, when they need them, and what the benefits of each jab are.

• Vaccine safety and myths busting
• Vaccination schedule
• Oxford vaccine project (translations available)
• Polio, flu and MMR resources
• Immunisation information for migrants (translations available)

Please call the surgery to make an appointment.

Chlamydia screening is available from the surgery.

Simply ask at reception for a kit. It is a completely confidential service where you can send a urine sample in the envelope provided and receive the results easily.

Our specialist diabetes team will provide you with support, regular reviews and the day-to-day care of your needs.

All Diabetic patients are entitled to an annual review. The Practice will normally contact you if yours is due. The review takes place in two parts – a data collection appointment and where appropriate, a follow up care plan appointment. If you feel you have been missed, or require a more urgent review, then please contact the Practice to arrange an appointment.

At the initial data collection appointment, your blood pressure, weight, urine, feet and well-being will be checked. It is necessary for you to bring an early morning urine sample with you. Following your initial appointment, a care plan booklet will be sent to you and if necessary, an appointment with your GP or one of our specialist nurses will be arranged.

You may require a doctor's letter for various reasons eg fitness to travel or confirmation of medical conditions.  Please contact reception to make your request which will be dealt with in the most appropriate way.

If you are pregnant and require a doctor’s letter as proof of 'permission to travel' please be aware that many airlines require your doctor’s letter to be signed within 48 hours of international travel.

Please note that you will not be provided with a doctor's 'permission to travel' letter if you are due in less than 30 days or if your pregnancy is considered high-risk.

If you’ve forgotten to take your pill, your condom split or you’ve had unprotected sex in the last 72 hours then you may need emergency contraception, and the sooner you take it the better.

Emergency contraception is available free from Contraception and Sexual Health Services, some GPs (family doctors) and most pharmacies (chemists), even if you’re under 16.

If you’ve had unprotected sex or your condom failed, it is also really important to consider your risk for sexually transmitted infections and to think about your long-term contraception needs. Please phone the surgery to book an emergency appointment.

If you miss the 72 hours it is still possible to have an emergency coil fitted up to 5 days after unprotected sex. You can have an emergency coil fitted for free at your local sexual health clinic.

Our family planning clinics offer free, confidential advice and information about contraception and sexual health.

We provide a range of services including:

• Confidential advice about contraception
• The combined oral contraceptive pill
• The Progestogen-only pill
• Progestogen injections
• Limited supplies of free condoms
• Free emergency contraception
• Confidential advice about STIs
• Cervical screening
• Unplanned pregnancy advice
• Free pregnancy tests
• Pre-conception advice and fertility awareness information
• Fitting and checking of caps, diaphragms, and coils (intrauterine devices, or IUDs)

Please book an appointment (through reception or via our online services) with your GP to discuss any of the above in more detail.

The NHS offers free flu and Covid vaccines to those at greater risk of serious illness.

Vaccines are our best protection against flu and Covid. Over the last few years, they have kept tens of thousands of people out of hospital and helped to save countless lives.

Who can get the vaccines?

The flu and Covid vaccinations are available to people who:

• are aged 65 or over 
• have certain health conditions
• are pregnant
• live with someone who has a weakened immune system
• are a carer
• are a frontline health or social care worker
• live in a care home.

Most children can get the children's flu vaccine. This includes children aged 2 to 3 years, school-aged children (Reception to year 11) and children with certain health conditions.

How to get the Covid vaccine

If you're eligible for the Covid vaccine, you can:

• contact the Practice (to check for availability at our local Enhanced Access Hubs, St Charles and Violet Melchett)
• book a vaccination appointment online
• via the NHS App
• calling 119
• find a walk-in Covid vaccine service at some local pharmacies.

How to get the flu vaccine

If you're eligible for an NHS flu vaccine, you can get your vaccine from:

•    your GP surgery
•    a pharmacy that offers NHS flu vaccination (if you're aged 18 or over)
•    some maternity services (if you're pregnant).

You do not have to wait for an invitation before booking an appointment.

Get more information on your winter vaccines on the NHS website.

Certain small surgical operations can be performed at the surgery. With minor surgery the recovery time is usually short and you will be back to your usual activities fairly quickly (depending on your procedure).

Before attending for minor surgery you will need to see a doctor for the diagnosis and then you will be given an appointment to attend for your procedure.

Some newborn babies are released from hospital without a detailed examination. If this is the case, our GPs are happy to perform the relevant checks, either in the surgery, or in comfort of your own home, depending on which is easier for you.

In most cases, the Practice will contact new mums to arrange for this to happen, on rare occasions where we are unaware of the birth, please feel free to give us a call and arrange an appointment or visit.

Have your free NHS Health Check and you will be better prepared for the future and be able to take steps to maintain or improve your health.

Learn more on the NHS website

We have a team of nurses who can help you with:

• Heart Disease
• Family Planning
• Asthma
• COPD
• Strokes
• Diabetes
• Baby Immunisations
• Minor Illness
• Bereavement Counselling
• Ear irrigation
• Wound management

Postnatal care extends for between 6-8 weeks after the birth of your baby. During this period, routine checks are carried out by the health visitor and you and your baby's recovery is monitored.

During your postnatal care you will find out about feeding, potty training, illnesses, safety and more. You will be able to ask your health visitor questions and request advice.

If you are planning to have a baby or you need to know more information about how to look after yourself and your unborn baby, please book an appointment with your GP.

We can provide you with all the information you need to know to have a happy and healthy pregnancy.

Asthma and COPD Clinics

Our practice nurses have specialist asthma qualifications. During their clinics they monitor your overall condition, offer advice, answer any queries and ensure your treatment is effective.

We hold clinics to diagnose and to help patients to manage their asthma or COPD.

We like to see all our patients who have been diagnosed with these conditions at least once a year, depending on the severity of your condition, we may invite you to come to the clinic more often in order to ensure we give you the care you require.

A range of sexual health services are offered at the surgery including:

• Contraception and contraception advice
• Emergency contraception and emergency contraception advice
• Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhoea and genital warts
• Testing and counselling for HIV and AIDS

If you need advice and support with a sexual health matter or you think you have a problem you would like to discuss, please call the surgery to make an appointment with your GP.

Sexual health services are freely available for everyone.

See our sickness certificate page for more information.

If you're trying to give up smoking, we can help. Studies show that your chances of success will be greatly improved if you get advice and support from health care professionals to help you stop smoking and if you don't pay for your prescriptions then giving up is free.

The services we offer from the Practice can:

• Boost your willpower to stop smoking
• Concentrate your efforts by getting advice from someone who knows your medical background
• Help you feel that you’re not doing it alone
• Help you to cope when you are tempted to smoke
• Monitor improvements to your health so that you can see the benefits

Please call the surgery to arrange an appointment with our smoking cessation advisers.

It is important to visit your GP as soon as you notice any lump or swelling on your testicle. Your GP will examine your testicles to help determine whether or not the lump is cancerous.

If you would like to know more about weight and diet advice, we offer a weight management clinic giving you advice on how to lose weight and stay healthy.

A range of options are available to support people with weight loss. To understand which of them may be the best fit for you please arrange an appointment with your GP who will be happy to discuss them with you.

One suitable option may be our Health Trainers who offer 1:1 sessions for people wanting to improve their health and change their behaviour. They can support individuals with healthy eating, weight management and getting physically active.