Doctors and nurses may use any day to day contact with you to discuss your general health. In addition the practice provides the following special services:

Child Health Services
All children under 5 are seen regularly by the Health Visitors, who also carry out developmental checks at appropriate intervals. Routine immunisations are a most important part of preventative care for children, and we strongly recommend that your child has all the immunisations offered.

Community Child Health Clinics (drop in) are held at:                                                                  

Chestfield Medical Centre - Tuesday 9.00am - 12.00pm 
Whitstable Health Centre - Tuesday 1.30pm - 3.30pm 
Children's Centre Joy Lane - Thursday 9.30am -  11.00am
Chestfield Medical Centre - Wednesday appointments with Rachel Craddock - (Phone Rachel to book on 594419)

Minor Illness

Infant Massage Classes

Whitstable Health Centre - Monday 11.00am - 12.30pm (To book a place please contact Health Visitor)
Children's Centre Joy Lane - Friday morning (To book a place please contact Health Visitor)

Enjoy Your Baby Group

As from 24/06/2008 will be held at Children's Centre Joy Lane - Tuesdays 10.30am

Infant Resuscitation Training for Parents

Whitstable Health Centre - Bi-monthly (To book a place please contact Health Visitor)

Smear Clinics
We advise all women to have a cervical smear every three years between the ages of 25 and 50 years and then five yearly up to the age of 64. Smear clinics are run by our nurses and reminders will be sent routinely to all eligible women.

Well Woman and Menopause Clinics
In addition to taking a smear, other aspects of women’s health are addressed in these clinics. This may include teaching breast self-examination, blood pressure and urine checks and advice about hormone replacement therapy.

Family Planning Services
All doctors provide contraceptive advice in their surgeries, but in addition there are special clinics for more specific advice, which includes the fitting of caps or coils.

Immunisations
We provide travel immunisations, flu vaccination and other immunisation advice

Maternity Care
We try to ensure that the most routine antenatal care is carried out at the Health Centres by your own doctor and the Community Midwife.

Heart Disease Prevention and Hypertension Clinics
Our practice nurses run regular clinics for people with high blood pressure or coronary heart disease (eg heart attacks). We advise people receiving treatment for these conditions to attend a clinic 6 or 12 monthly.

Diabetic Clinics
Diabetes is a long-term illness with potential complications which can be prevented with regular care. We provide specialised advice involving a doctor, nurse, dietician, chiropodist and eye screening.

Asthma Clinics
Asthma is common in adults and children. Our specialist asthma nurses can help people with asthma understand and take more control of their condition, so that the asthma does not restrict life and activities. We recommend a routine review at least once a year, and offer a choice of face-to-face or telephone consultations.

Spirometry
This specialist test of lung function is available in the surgery. It is particularly useful to help diagnose and monitor chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema).

Blood Tests (Phlebotomy)
If your doctor recommends a blood test, Treatment Room reception will make an appointment with the phlebotomy clinic. Please remember to bring your blood test form with you to the clinic, or the phlebotomist will not know what blood samples to take. Blood tests have to be done before 12 noon or they will miss the transport that takes them to the hospital.

New Patient Screening
All new patients from the age of 5 are offered an initial medical assessment appointment with their doctor or a practice nurse.

Minor Surgery
In addition to your doctors’ surgeries we have experienced nurses able to assess and advise on a number of minor complaints. Back-up support is always available for our nurses if required. To make an appointment with the minor illness clinic please telephone the number for the doctor with whom you are registered.

We are registered and qualified to perform minor surgery. The premises are fully equipped and staffed for this and these procedures are carried out in the Treatment Room by arrangement with your doctor.

Minor Casualties (Seen at Estuary View Medical Centre only)
Our busy Treatment Room is open from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm weekdays. The nurses are trained to deal with minor injuries and are able to give first aid advice. A doctor will be called to see you if necessary. When the Medical Centre is closed minor casualties should be taken to Kent and Canterbury Hospital Minor Injuries Unit except for children who will only be seen there before 6 pm. After 6 pm children should be taken to Accident and Emergency either at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford or the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

Major Casualties
These should always be taken to the Accident and Emergency Department at either the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford or the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate where x-ray facilities are available.

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.

Information about countries and vaccinations required can be found on the links below:

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

It is important to make the 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 travelto allow the vaccines to work.

Most travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge.  This is because travel vaccination is not included in the services provided by the NHS and therefore is a chargeable service.

Travel Health Questionnaire

To help us offer the appropriate advice, please fill out the online form before coming to see the nurse.

Travel Questionnaire

Nursing Services

Because we aim to provide a high standard of care for patients, many of our nurses have studied to qualify and gain practical supervised experience in their specialist areas.  Qualifications include:

• Advanced Nurse Practitioner Degree
• Professional Nursing Practice Degree
• Nurse Independent Prescribing Module
• Emergency Nurse Practitioner Module
• Minor Illness Diploma
• Diabetes Diploma
• Asthma /COPD (bronchitis/emphysema) Diploma
• Coronary Heart Disease Diploma
• Contraception and Sexual Health Diploma
• Cervical Cytology (smears)
• NVQ3 Certificate (Health Care Assistants)
  

Nurses must have regular updates in their specialist clinical areas and the following;

• Emergency Life Support
• Management of Anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction)
• Immunisations
• Child Protection
• Infection Control
• Smoking Cessation
• Information Governance

Practice Nurse Clinics are available at each site and include:

Minor Illness

We assess and treat a variety of conditions including: asthma attacks, tonsillitis, ear infections, skin conditions, urine infections and requests for emergency contraception.

Family Planning and SexualHealth

We advise and offer a full range of contraception. This includes hormonal pills and the more effective long-acting methods such as intrauterine devices, injections and subdermal implants, which are devices inserted just under the skin.  We also provide cervical screening (smears), Chlamydia testing and advise those planning to have a baby (pre-conception advice). 

Chronic Diseases

These include Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes with insulin initiation if necessary, Heart Disease and Stroke.  We also run respiratory clinics for those with Asthma or COPD (bronchitis or emphysema),Spirometry (lung function testing) and stop-smoking clinics.

Warfarin

We undertake INR testing and dose adjustment for those taking Warfarin tablets.

Immunisations

We administer these as part of the childhood vaccination programme and as routine for adults such as pneumococcal and seasonal flu immunisations.  We also run travel clinics, advising and vaccinating individuals travelling abroad. 

Treatment Room

Our treatment room appointments include phlebotomy (blood tests), wound and leg ulcer dressings, ear irrigation, heart and blood pressure monitoring.

Telephone advice

Finally,if you would like advice, please contact reception to arrange for a Practice Nurse to telephone you. 

Health care assistants

HCAs are employed in the Treatment Room and work under the supervision of qualified nurses.  They assist with taking blood tests, ECGs, blood pressure readings, urine testing and other duties.

Additional Services

Whitstable Medical Practice is striving to bring as many clinics as possible into the community.  By setting up these clinics we have provided NHS services to patients providing care closer to home with shorter waits at less cost to the NHS.  We hope that this in turn means a better patient experience. 

Your GP may refer you to these clinics in the usual way.  This is to make sure you are aware that they are available at Estuary View Medical Centre. 

You may elect to access these clinics when booking your out-patient appointment through the national Choose and Book system.

• Muscular Skeletal Therapies including Physiotherapy
• Echocardiology
• Audiology/Hearing Aid Clinic
• Sigmoidoscopy
• Cardiology
• Insulin Initiation Clinic
• Urinary Flow Rate Clinic
• Consultant-led Gynaecology Clinic
• Ultrasound
• Consultant-led Orthopaedic clinic
• Consultant-led Urology Clinic
• Consultant-led Cardiology Clinic
• Epilepsy – GP Led
• Dermatology – GP Led
• Cardiology – GP Led
• Surgery in Primary Care – GP Led
• Carpal Tunnel Injections and Decompression Surgery – GP Led

DECLARATION OF THE POTENTIAL FOR A CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The doctors in the Whitstable Medical Practice, in common with all other General Practitioners in the United Kingdom, are bound by the General Medical Council Code of Conduct entitled “Good Medical Practice”. Our over-riding professional duty to you, our patients, is to place your clinical interests first.  You can be assured that any treatment proposed or any referral made is done because we believe it is the best course of action for your healthcare.