Services

We are able to offer screening for Atrial fibrillation (AF) - please ask for more details. AF is a condition that causes the heart to beat irregularly or too fast. A normal heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats a minute (bpm) when you’re resting. In AF the heart rate can sometimes be very fast (often between 140 and 180 bpm) as well as being irregular. The abnormality can also come and go. AF is common but mainly occurs in older people. Just under 2 in every 100 people in England have AF and the numbers are rising because of the increasing numbers of elderly people.

AF is uncommon in younger people unless they have certain heart conditions. Some people with AF don’t have any symptoms and don’t know that they have it. Even without symptoms it’s important to diagnose AF because the abnormal rhythm can cause blood clots to form in the heart. Most people with AF need to take medicine to thin the blood to stop any blood clots from forming. If a blood clot does form then it may travel in the blood vessels to your brain to cause a stroke. The screening is a snapshot of your pulse to check if it is normal. If an abnormality is detected, you will be asked to book a routine appointment at your GP surgery for an ECG (electrocardiogram) to evaluate your heart further (unless of course you already have AF diagnosed and are under treatment).

Our Nurses and HCAs provide a phlebotomy service for tests arranged by your doctor or hospital consultant, as well as routine tests for monitoring disease such as annual blood tests for patients on specific medications or with diabetes.

Are you a carer?

If you are, please let us know as we may be able to help you.

Our care coordinator Esther will help you access advice and support on all issues relating to care.

Esther will help if you are a carer, if you are receiving care, or if you or a family member is not yet receiving care but needs information on what is available.

Some of the things she can help with include:

• information about local activities, interest groups or day centres;
• signpost you to transport for appointments and other activities;
• support for you or someone you care about;
• signpost to organisations that can help with aids and adaptations to your home;
• Help you to find a volunteer friend to spend time with you;
• signpost you to debt, benefits and financial support.
• Visit the NHS social care and support guide
• See further resources for carers

All women aged 25-65 are offered routine screening for cervical cancer in line with current NHS guidance.

If you are aged over 24 and have never had a smear test you should arrange an appointment with our Practice Nurse. You should not have the test while you are having a period as this can affect the sample.  You should also not have the test whilst you are pregnant.

For other NHS Screening Services, you should be called when they are due.

Screening information is provided on the NHS website

You can also visit Screening Saves Lives for more information

Transgender, non-binary and intersex people

Visit the following link for more information:

NHS population screening: information for transgender people

We provide all childhood immunisation and are keen to ensure children are immunised. Childhood immunisation clinics are held at the surgery. Parents are asked to bring the Child Health Record (the red book) with them for each appointment. We support the local midwives and obstetricians in antenatal care.

The Practice offers a complete contraception service including fitting implants and coils. In addition we run a monthly Family Planning Clinic, where Dr Helen Meredith is available to discuss cases and to provide iucd and implant services.

Get information about COVID-19 vaccination, who can get it, and safety and side effects

Our Nurses and HCAs are available for dressings and advice on wound care.

Our Nurses and HCAs run regular ear irrigation clinics for patients who are under the care of audiology.

Your GP may request that you get a heart trace (ECG) which our nurses and health care asssistants can complete. If your GP thinks you need an ultrasound scan of your heart then that can now be carried out at Station Drive Surgery by trained sonographers from the hospital who are providing a community service from our practice.

Other clinics that run at Station Drive Surgery include:

• Hidden Hearing
• AAA Screening
• Memory Clinic
• Echocardiogram Clinic
• Greenoaks Counselling
• IAPT Counselling

All over 65 year olds and those at risk are advised to have annual flu jabs. The practice runs clinics in the autumn.

Find information about the flu jab, including who should have it, why and when

Joint injections should be booked in with Dr Mitchell.

We have nurses who specialise and run Long Term Conditions clinics such as Asthma, COPD, Hypertension, CHD, Stroke and Diabetes. This is so that anyone living with a chronic condition can easily access support and advice through appointments, regular monitoring and annual reviews.

We provide access to a number of NHS counselling services and mental health services and also have in-house practitioners who can help patients directly. Please contact our reception team for further information.

NHS Health Checks are available for well patients aged 40 to 74 years old. We try and provide some of these clinics in the evening surgeries for those patients who find it difficult to attend during the day.

We ensure all eligible patients are offered Pneumonia and Shingles vaccinations.

We are a Research Practice. For example, during 2019/2020 we became involved with the PULSE AI Research Project. This is a project to see if it would be possible to predict an increased risk for atrial fibrillation in patients before they had symptoms. It has been a very interesting project with some very positive outcomes. Participation in any research is on an invitation basis only. No personal data is shared with the research group unless the patient has consented to participate. Any searches to identify eligible patients are run by staff at the practice, and invitations to participate are sent out by us. Invited patients can respond and agree to take part, and this is the first point when the identity of the patients becomes known to the researcher.

Social Prescribing is a non-medical programme designed to help people with a wide range of social, emotional or practical needs. This may include those who may be wanting to change their lifestyle (e.g. giving up smoking or losing weight), who have social and/or mental health problems, and/or those who live with a longterm health condition. Our Social Prescribing Advisors can support you to improve your health and wellbeing by listening to your main concerns and helping you to connect with further support, groups and activities that can help support you with your goals, helping you to develop an achievable plan that works for you. Please contact us if you think this could help you or a family member.

We offer travel innoculations and advice on medical precautions to take when travelling. The NHS does not pay for travel vaccinations so there will be a charge for these.

You can see more information by visiting our Travel Information page.