PRACTICE SERVICES

The Practice provides the following services under the General Medical Services Contract.

• Management of patients who are ill or believe themselves to be ill
• Management of palliative patients
• Management of chronic disease

All practices provide this service.

ADDITIONAL SERVICES

• Cervical screening
• Contraceptive Services
• Child Health surveillance
• Wellbeing Advisor
• Advanced Physiotherapist
• Mental Health Nurse

Nearly all practices provide this service.

ENHANCED SERVICES

• Minor surgery
• Anticoagulation
• Near Patient Testing, ie, regular blood tests for patients on certain medications.
• Care of patients in nursing homes
• Coil and Nexplanon clinic
  
  Only some practices provide this service.

CLINICS & SERVICES

• Health promotion

• Minor surgery

• Asthma/chest clinic

• Diabetic clinic

• Heart Disease Clinic

• Family Planning advice

• Baby-changing facilities

• Cervical screening

Primary Care Mental Health Nursing Service

Are you struggling with issues that affect your mental health? You can arrange an appointment with the Practice Primary Care Mental Health Nurse (PCMHN).

About PCMHN service:

We aim to provide an environment in your GP practice for the exploration of issues which may be affecting your mental health. We can then work together to help you find ways to improve your health and wellbeing with a focus on self-help outside appointments with your nurse. This service is available for individuals aged 18 and over.

We are able to provide advice and treatment in regards to:

· Anxiety and Stress—Education and guidance about ways to manage symptoms associated with anxiety and stress.

· Low mood and depression—Lifestyle advice to aid issues with mood and self-help strategies you can explore and develop. We are also able to provide information and access to online resources including online and text based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

· Trauma –Self-help advice regarding management of symptoms related to trauma. The PCMHN will discuss onward referral for counselling or trauma related therapy as appropriate.

· Relationships—Advice about how to access relationship counselling if you identify aspects of a relationship you would like aid in addressing.

· Autism and ADHD - The nurse is not able to assess or diagnose cases of Autism or ADHD but can assist with self-help strategies to help manage symptoms as well as discussing appropriateness of referral to other services.

· We can consider medication options if this is indicated and appropriate.

Referral Criteria:

You can make appointment with the PCMHN via reception at your GP surgery-this is a self referral service. Other healthcare professionals in the pratice may also suggest you have an appointment with the PCMHN and arrange this for you following review.

Please note- If you are engaged in treatment with another service, such as counsellor, psychologist, community mental health team or Consultant psychiatrist the PCMHN is likely to suggest that ongoing care and treatment is provided via that service.

Out of Hours/Crisis contact numbers:

NHS 24 – 111

BREATHING SPACE 0800 83 85 87 (6PM-2AM MON-THURS &6PM -6AM FRI – MON(www.breathingspace.scot)

SANE LINE – 0845 767 8000 6PM 11PM 7 DAYS PER WEEK

SAMARITANS 1216 123 (24 HOURS, 365 DAYS)-EMAIL jo@samaritans.org

SHOUT: TEXT SUPPORT, FREE TO USE – TEXT “Shout” to 85258

PHARMACY FIRST SERVICE

Your local pharmacy is now available to treat a number of common conditions. This includes, but is not limited to;

·        Acne

·        Athletes foot

·        Back pain

·        Bacterial conjunctivitis

·        Blocked/runny nose

·        Constipation

·        Cold sores

·        Cough

·        Cystitis

·        Diarrhoea

·        Earache

·        Haemorrhoids (piles)

·        Hay fever

·        Headlice

·        Impetigo

·        Nappy rash

·        Period pain

·        Ringworm

·        Scabies

·        Sore throat

·        Skin infections

·        Thread worms

·        Thrush (vaginal/oral)

·        Warts/verrucae

Please see the following link for further information on the services available:

NHS Pharmacy First Scotland | NHS inform

We no longer provide a travel clinic at Meeks Road Surgery. 

Patients should self-refer to the NHS Forth Valley Travel Health Service using a risk assessment eform available on the immunisation page on NHS Forth Valley services page. 

https://nhsforthvalley.com/health-services/az-of-services/travel-health-service/

Non-NHS Services

Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Examples include the following:

• Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc)
• Insurance claim forms
• Prescriptions and letters for taking medication abroad
• Private sick notes
• Vaccination certificates

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our Reception Staff will be happy to advise you about them, along with appointment availability.

Fees for letters / forms should be paid in advance. This will help to ensure the Doctor does not waste time by completing letters or forms which are no longer required by the patient. 

We will only undertake most types of medicals for patients registered at the practice to ensure we have complete and accurate medical history.

Using Private Healthcare?

Private Heathcare Resource

The following are the Chemists who are in the vicinityof our Practice Area. These Chemists collect prescriptions on a regular basis from the practice. However this list is not exhaustive :

Hallglen - 679732

Boots (High St) - 620535

Well (Newcarron) - 612439

Larbert - 557596

Falkirk (Grahams Road) - 635859

Callendar (Thornhill) - 623688

Callendar (Camelon) - 524491

Callendar (High St) - 228433

Ren (Stenhousemuir) - 554135

Right Medicine (Laurieston) - 623454

Right Medicine (Carronshore) - 555544

Tesco (Falkirk Retail) - 0131 289 2565

Airth - 831063

Graeme (Camelon) - 625889

Shieldhill - 624754

M+D Green (Stenhousemuir) - 553323

The Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner (APP) provides a service for patients aged 16 and over with any musculoskeletal (MSK) problem. This means patients do not need to be seen by a doctor first and can make an appointment directly with the APP via reception.

The APP works independently to assess, diagnose, and form a management plan for the patient, but liaises with GPs and other colleagues within the practice where necessary.

The APP may deliver initial evidence-based interventions and can refer on for blood tests,  forms of imaging e.g. XRs and scans and refer to secondary care services (e.g. Orthopaedics, Neurology, Rheumatology) if necessary.  Patients who require ongoing physiotherapy will be referred on to the main physiotherapy service.

Almost all APPs are able to administer steroid injections  and some are able to issue prescriptions.  All APPs can issue fit notes, but only for MSK conditions they have assessed.

To make an appointment please contact reception and ask for an APP appointment. 

For information on self-management of MSK conditions please follow the links below: -

https://nhsforthvalley.com/health-services/az-of-services/physiotherapy/musculoskeletal-msk/

https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/muscle-bone-and-joints

Fungal infections of skin and nails

Fungal nail infections present as brittle, discoloured and thicker than normal. Whilst these are not serious infections in terms of health risk, they can be uncomfortable and take a long time to heal and may lead to further problems if left untreated.

Treatment of fungal nail and skin infections

• Nail lacquer

Mild, localized fungal skin infections typically respond well to topical treatments, such as creams, lotions, and ointments. If these topical options are ineffective or if the infection is widespread, systemic (oral) therapy may be necessary. Conditions like athlete's foot should be addressed promptly to prevent further spread.

The initial treatment for fungal nail infections involves applying a topical nail lacquer directly to the affected nail(s). This treatment should be continued for a period of 6 to 12 months. You can expect to see noticeable improvement within 2 to 3 months, as healthy nail growth will be visible starting at the base of the nail. This is indication that the treatment is working.

Nail lacquer is not suitable for individuals who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or under 18 years of age.

• Oral treatment

Sometimes nail lacquer is not effective and oral tablets can be considered. Oral treatment can be required in excess of a year at times. You can expect to see noticeable improvement within 2 to 3 months, as healthy nail growth will be visible starting at the base of the nail. This is indication that the treatment is working.

Oral treatment is not suitable for patients with chronic liver disease and should be used in caution in patients with kidney disease. While it's rare, there have been some reports of liver side effects, including liver failure, associated with oral medications.

Before beginning any oral treatment, we will ask you to schedule an appointment for liver function tests. After starting the treatment, we will also need to conduct another liver function test one month later, followed by another test six months into your treatment.

Side effects to treatment

If you experience any of the following side effects during treatment, this should be reported to the surgery and medication should be stopped. 

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Itching
• Change in skin colour