Surgery Clinics

This encompasses a wide range of conditions which require long term treatment and care. Our priority is to ensure this care is on-going and appropriate; to this end we shall endeavour to review patients’ medication on an annual basis. When and where appropriate we request patients to make an appointment with the health care assistant, a nurse, or a doctor - it is also important that patients read and take note of any comment we might attach to a prescription. Failure to respond to a request to contact the surgery may result in an increase in the frequency of prescriptions and the resulting prescription charge or prescription requests being refused.

To help patients manage their long-term conditions we hold specialist clinics led by specially trained nurses and pharmacists in association with the doctors. Patients will usually only require an annual appointment.

Patients with diabetes will usually be invited for an annual review appointment with a Healthcare Assistant (HCA) or Nurse. During this appointment, all routine diabetes checks will be completed, including a foot check, blood test and urine sample. You may also know this appointment as your diabetic foot check.

Following these assessments and depending on your HbA1c result and overall diabetes control, you will be booked with the most appropriate clinician for the second part of your annual review. This appointment provides an opportunity to discuss your results and receive specialist advice and support. The Elms Medical Practice has a dedicated diabetes team, including GPs, Pharmacists, and a Specialist Nurse, ensuring you receive care tailored to your individual needs.

If you have already had your blood and urine tests carried out elsewhere, or in certain other circumstances, you may be booked directly into the second part of your annual review.

As a patient you will be sent a form to have a blood test 2 weeks prior to attending the clinic. When you attend the clinic you will be seen by a Specialist Clinical Pharmacist, GP or clinician with a specialist interest.

Patients will be asked to bring in their inhalers and to perform breathing tests. The Nurse or Specialist Pharmacist will advise on further management.

Patients will be asked to bring in their inhalers and to perform a peak flow test. The Nurse, Paramedic or Pharmacist will provide a full assessment and advise on further management.

Our Nursing Team provide a wide range of services for our patients including:

• Wound care including dressings and removal of stiches or staples
• Childhood immunisations
• Adult immunisations including Flu, COVID, RSV, Shingles, Pneumococcal
• Cervical screening 
• Contraception
• Long term condition reviews including Asthma and Diabetes
• NHS health checks
• Carer’s checks
• NHS Travel Vaccinations and advice
• Ear irrigation
• ECGs 
• Blood tests (Venepuncture) 
• Assisting with minor operations

Are usually done by our healthcare assistant. This service is available to all patients and we recommend that you check your blood pressure at least once every five years. You are welcome to use our easy to use blood pressure machine sited in the waiting room. 

To register with a midwife, please visit the website of your chosen hospital and register online with their midwife services. Once registered, they will contact you directly regarding the next steps. 

Find support and advice for maternity and parenting

Cervical screening, which used to be called a smear test, is a test to check the health of the cervix and help prevent cervical cancer. All women aged 25 to 64 are invited for cervical screening every 5 years. Everyone with a cervix should be offered screening.

Learn more about cervical screening on the NHS website

This is provided by our experienced nurses who are able to initiate and provide follow up monitoring for all methods of oral contraception.

Coil fitting and Implant clinics are run at various points throughout the year. We are also able to refer you to the local clinic in St Albans who are able to offer a more frequent service. 

Coil fitting – Information to read before your appointment

1 week before the coil fitting appointment:

• Under 25 years old: Please consider having a chlamydia urine test. No appointment necessary. (Please ask for a testing kit at reception).
• Over 25 years old: Please consider a swab test to exclude infection, if you have had a new partner in the last 12 months.

Coil removal and refitting:

Please abstain or use condoms for 1 week prior to appointment in case refit is not possible on the day.

On the day:

Occasionally you may feel faint and light headed when you have a coil fitted, for this reason we ask that on the day, you eat and drink normally, take mild analgesia such as Panadol or Ibuprofen, 1 hour before the appointment. Please do not bring children to the appointment; however, it is advisable to bring another person with you in case you need assistance to go home afterwards.

New mothers are asked to book an appointment with a GP when baby is 6 weeks old. The GP will perform a physical examination of both baby and mother and can answer any health or wellbeing concerns. 

Vaccinations and immunisations

All routine childhood immunisations are performed at the surgery by a nurse following an automatic invitation from the Local Health Authority.

Minor Surgery is not routinely carried out at the Practice. If your condition requires a minor procedure the clinician will advice the appropriate next steps. 

We employ two Social Prescribers.

Social prescribing is about helping people find ways to improve their health and wellbeing by linking them up with what’s going on in their local area.  Social prescribing seeks to move away from a medical model and towards a holistic person-centred, or family-centred, view of well-being, identifying the root causes of the individual’s and/or family’s issues and tackling them head on, to connect them into community-based support, and making the most of community and informal support.

Social prescribing link workers (SPLWs), also known as navigators, provide an important function of social prescribing. SPLWs spend time with patients, identifying their needs and preferences, wellbeing goals and then supporting patients to access community services that are right for them. 

What activities can patients be prescribed?

Types of activities are varied but often include: art classes, singing, gardening groups, faith groups, walking groups, volunteering and employment support, welfare and benefits advice, support to navigate through support options. 

To be referred to the social prescribing team please contact us or speak to reception.