Religious circumcision – If required, patients can be referred to a surgeon at Walsall Manor Hospital.

If you require an urgent home visit, please phone the surgery before 10:30am, and give the receptionist an idea of what the problem is. This helps the doctor to see the most urgent cases first and plan the calls efficiently.

As home visits are for those patients too ill to attend surgery, please only request a home visit if you (or the person you are calling on behalf of) is too ill or frail to attend the Practice. Please remember the doctor can see four patients in the time it takes to make one house call.

The doctor may arrange for the patient to be brought to the surgery so that its full facilities are available for tests and treatment. It is not possible to request a specific doctor for a home visit.

Please give clear directions so the doctor can locate your house. If you have an outside light, please ensure that it is switched on during the hours of darkness. Also, if you have a dog that is not familiar with visitors, please ensure that they are securely locked away.

The Practice urges all parents to have their children fully immunised. If you require to see the doctor and / or the Practice nurse, please make an appointment with either.

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Immunisation time-table

Many potentially fatal childhood diseases have been virtually eradicated in the UK due to the availability of vaccinations. It is very important that all children are fully immunised. Reminders are sent out by the Health Authority.

Current recommendations are:

Two months

• 1st diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio injection
• 1st HIB
• 1st Prevenar
• 1st Rotavirus

Three month

• 2nd diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio injection
• 2nd HIB/Menc
• 2nd Rotavirus
• Four months
• 3rd diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio injection
• 3rd HIB/Menc
• 2nd Prevenar

12 – 13 months

• Hib/MenC
• MMR (Measles, Mumps & Rubella [German Measles])
• 3rd Prevenar

15 – 18 years

• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio
• Measles, mumps and rubella
• Tetanus, diphtheria and polio
• MenC
• Tetanus infections may develop in wounds picked up in the garden or street. We recommend that everyone has a booster every 10 years.
• HIB (Haemophilus Influenzae Type B) can cause:
  • A type of Meningitis
  • A severe form of Croup (Epiglottitis)
  • Blood Poisoning (Septicaemia)
  • Joint & Bone Infections
  • Pneumonia

Each year about 1,300 children in the UK are infected by HIB and over half of these children develop HIB Meningitis. HIB immunisation is now offered to all babies and children up to four years old. We strongly recommend that all children under four receive this immunisation.

If patient needs emergency contraception, we offer an emergency appointment for the same day.

For patients under the age of 16, we adhere to the Fraser Guidelines.

Smear tests for women involve an examination of the Cervix (neck of the womb) to check for changes which occur before cancer develops. These changes can be treated before cancer develops.

We recommend that women between the ages of 24 and 49 years are encouraged to have a smear every three years and those aged between 50 and 64 every five years, unless advised otherwise by a doctor.

Smear tests are usually performed by the Practice Nurse, we have a recall system in place to advice women in advance of their next smear test.

If you are newly registered with the Practice, please inform us of the approximate date of the last cervical smear in order that we can put you into our recall system.

Patients wishing to check their results (and it is always wise to do this) should wait between 4 & 5 weeks before doing so – the approximate time taken by the laboratory to process the tests.

Aurna Gangimalla (Locum Nurse) is available Tuesdays and Fridays from 9.30am – 1.00pm and 3.30pm – 6.30pm.

The travel clinic is run by nurses with special training in overseas health.

Patients who are planning to travel overseas, whether on business or pleasure should contact our Reception Staff at least 8 weeks beforehand to enquire about their specific vaccination requirements so that the Practice Nurse can ascertain what vaccinations you will require for your trip and enable her to give you the best possible advice on all health issues, as well as administer the vaccinations.

There is a charge for some travel immunisations and prescriptions not covered by the NHS – a list of these charges is available from our Reception Staff.

Please contact Stop Smoking Services on 0121 612 2772 to help support people who are motivated to stop smoking.

If you are aged 65 or over, you are strongly advised to have a pneumonia vaccination.

Appointments with the nurse can be booked with our Reception Staff.

We immunise against infectious diseases which can cause death and disability and strongly recommend that all children should receive their full course of immunisation.

Adults should receive a Tetanus booster every 10 years. Other immunisations (e.g. Hepatitis B; Flu or Rubella) are advised according to age or risk.

Please ask our Reception Staff for details.

An influenza vaccination is particularly recommended for patients with heart, lung or kidney disease, diabetes and residents of nursing and rest homes.

Please contact our Reception Staff in early October for details of the vaccination dates.

If you are housebound, a home visit will be arranged to administer this vaccination.