Medical services and clinics

Our practice nurses hold weekly asthma, COPD and diabetes clinics. Advice from the practice nurses may be obtained at any time by appointment.

All women between the age of 20 and 65 should have a regular smear test every three to five years. We send out appointment reminders to all of our patients to let you know when your next smear is due. Smears will be done more frequently where necessary.

All children should commence the immunisation programme from two months old. You will receive invitations to attend our child clinics. Clinics for school-leavers, pre-school children and babies are currently held six times a month.

We send out appointments for regular checks and immunisations for pre-school children. This is to make sure that our doctors and health visitors can check that children are developing normally and that there’s nothing to worry about.

Child immunisations appointment

You will receive notification of an appointment direct from the health authority. Please bring with you to the appointment your Personal Child Health Record (red booklet), your appointment card and your signed consent form.

If you are unable to keep the appointment please let reception know in good time beforehand.

This practice follows the national policy for childhood immunisation. Further information can be found on the NHS Immunisation Schedule website.

Child health

Assessment, and advice is carried out by both doctors and health visitors. The key checks are as follows:

• 6 weeks developmental check with the doctor.
• 6 to 9 months developmental assessment and hearing test with your health visitor.

Your health visitor will advise you about further routine checks.

Find out about local counsellors and advice services. You can access these services by speaking to your GP or the surgery’s receptionist.

Our doctors and nurses give confidential advice on all aspects of family planning, including coil fitting, advice on safe sex, and emergency contraception.

We offer a complete service during routine appointments with your doctor. This includes arranging for the fitting of intra-uterine contraceptive devices.

Emergency and confidential advice is available at all times.

Information and leaflets below:

Having a Coil fitted at College Way Surgery

IUD (Copper) Information Leaflet

IUS (Mirena) Information Leaflet

Health checks are available for patients over the age of 25 years who have not had a check in the last three years. This involves an assessment of your risks for developing heart disease and a simple examination, e.g., blood pressure, urine check and cholesterol level if appropriate. This is particularly important if you smoke, or have a family history of coronary heart disease at an early age (less than 60 years). Our practice nurses will give advice and follow-up support on giving up smoking, losing weight, lowering your cholesterol levels and following a healthy lifestyle.

Antenatal care is provided by the midwife with GP support. 

The midwife also arranges postnatal care of patients at home as required.

Women aged between 50 and 60 are advised to attend the Breast Screening Unit every three years for a mammography. This is to make sure we can check and detect any abnormalities as soon as possible. These appointments are sent out by the local Breast Unit.

Find breast screening services.

Although all members of the primary healthcare team are involved in different aspects of health promotion, the health visitors offer individual counselling and support, both face to face and by telephone, as well as a range of group activities and exhibitions designed to help patients help themselves by adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Topics covered Include:

• stopping smoking advice
• weekly dietary advice
• sexual health
• dental health
• mental health
• advice on alcohol consumption
• accident prevention
• exercise
• skin cancer prevention.

Our treatment room is fully equipped for minor procedures carried out under a local anaesthetic. Your own doctor will arrange minor surgery for you if required.

We also offer a minor surgery service for patients referred to us from other GP practices.

Some services available are not covered under our contract with the NHS. This means that these services need to be paid for.

The services that include charges are:

• Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements.
• Insurance claim forms.
• Passport signing.
• Prescriptions for taking medication abroad.
• Private sick notes.
• Vaccination certificates.

Our reception staff and GPs will be happy to talk through the charges with you during your appointment.

The practice also provides the following:

• Anti-coagulation monitoring (warfarin dose monitoring)
• Near patient testing (drug monitoring by blood testing)

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) Clinics provide free testing & treatment. These are held at Musgrove Park Hospital:

• Taunton (Appointments) - 01823 252222
• Health Advisor - 01823 332182

Pre-pregnancy advice is offered by the doctors and midwife for those thinking of becoming pregnant. It is essential that you stop smoking, reduce your alcohol intake to a minimum, ensure an adequate daily intake of the vitamin folic acid in your diet, and check with your doctor about any medication you are taking. As a general rule don't take any drugs, including those bought over the counter, in pregnancy, unless advised by your doctor. Antenatal care is provided by the midwife with GP support. The midwife also arranges postnatal care of patients at home as required.

Foreign travel

We recommend patients attend a Private Travel Clinic to confirm which travel vaccinations are required prior to contacting the surgery.

The surgery is commissioned to offer the following free-of-charge travel vaccinations only:

• Polio (Given as a combined Diphtheria/Tetanus/Polio vaccination)
• Typhoid
• Hepatitis A
• Cholera

All other vaccines should be arranged privately at your own expense. We do not hold or administer any other travel vaccines.

We have a limited number of appointments available and we require at least six weeks notice prior to departure to carry out mandatory checks required, allow an appropriate interval between vaccinations if needed, and ensure that you are offered appropriate advice.

We regret that we cannot offer travel vaccinations to temporary residents or overseas visitors.

Travel immunisations

The practice nurses will give advice on foreign travel and any other immunisations required. We normally require six weeks notice for travel immunisations.

If you are unable to give six weeks notice you may wish to check whether we have a short notice cancellation but should be prepared to arrange your immunisations through a private clinic if no appointment is available.

Please visit Fit for Travel.

Making an appointment

1. Phone and make a 30 minute travel appointment with the nurse.
2. Please complete a travel questionnaire and bring it with to your travel appointment. Travel questionnaires are available at the reception, or to save time you may download the travel questionnaire and information form and print a copy.

Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio:

Protection against tetanus and polio should be kept up to date.

A full primary vaccination course with a booster at 15 should be followed by at least two boosters at 10 year interval should provide protection throughout life. A further tetanus booster may be recommended for particularly tetanus prone injuries.

Influenza & pneumococcal immunisations

We run a flu vaccination programme in October each year and encourage patients aged 65 or over or those of any age suffering from a chronic condition such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, renal disease, or immunosuppression to attend for an annual vaccination.

We will be sending invitations to these patients to attend a flu clinic and will make special arrangements for those in nursing or long-stay residential homes.

Useful websites (click to visit)

• Fit for Travel - a public access website provided by the NHS (Scotland). It gives travel health information for people travelling abroad from the UK
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• NHS Immunisation - the most comprehensive, up-to-date and accurate source of information on vaccines, disease and immunisation in the UK.

You can visit the GetUBetter website to download the GetUBetter app which will help you with exercises you can use while you are waiting.