Well Person Checks

If you don't come to the surgery very often, we suggest you make an appointment with one of the Practice Nurses for a Well Person check. You would have a check of your blood pressure, height and weight, and family history, and have a urine test for diabetes. Women are offered a smear test (a breast check is available on request). All this is free of charge and only takes a few minutes.

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New Patients

Please complete the questionnaire you received when you registered, and see the Practice Nurse for a health check. This helps us to get any information we need from your last doctor and spot potential health problems early on. 

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Smoke stop 

We can offer support and one to one counselling advice for patients who wish to give up smoking.  Please ask at reception for details.

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Antenatal Clinic/Child Development Clinic

Tuesday afternoon – There are some tests and other advice recommended for women who may be thinking of planning a baby. The aim is to prevent handicap and ensure maximum health of your new baby.

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Child Health Clinic

Every Wednesday afternoon from 2pm-3pm with the Health Visitor.    

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Cervical Smear Tests

Smears are usually performed by the practice nurse, or may be done by a doctor. The test can detect cell changes in the cervix (neck of the womb) that can sometimes lead to cancer. If the changes are present, treatment is nearly always simple, effective, and without major surgery – this is a preventative test to stop cancer before it starts. We recommend a test every THREE or FIVE years.

If you are a woman aged between 25 – 65, then you are probably one of the eight out of ten who have had your smear test already. If you are one of the other two and still uncertain, why not make an appointment with a Practice Nurse or your Doctor and talk about it first? It is most important at any age – and we would especially encourage ladies aged 45 to 65 to have a smear.

Patients who have had a total hysterectomy do not usually need a smear. Ask your doctor if you are not sure.

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Contraception

Confidential advice on contraception (including emergency contraception, teenage, and menopause contraception) is available from the doctors, the nurse practitioner and practice nurses. 

For emergency contraception during out of hours please telephone Dorset Emergency Care Service on 0845 600 1013

There is an IUCD (coil) fitting service available currently run by Dr French. If you are interested in the 3 year contraceptive implant then do please contact us for further information

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Minor Operations

Please see your doctor who will arrange any treatment needed. Many minor skin operations can be done at the surgery. (Cosmetic surgery is not done here but we can advise on a hospital specialist who is able to do this.) Minor Injuries
We offer an initial assessment of casualty type injuries within surgery opening hours.  We will then either offer the next available appointment to see the Practice Nurse, for any treatment that may be necessary, or advise you to go to the nearest hospital casualty department.

The nearest full scale Accident and Emergency Department is in Dorchester.

(The next nearest full service is at Poole. There are nurse-led minor injuries departments at Weymouth and at Swanage but these have a more restricted service.)

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Vaccinations and Immunisations

Children's vaccinations take place on a Wednesday afternoon by appointment or at other times if an appointment is made with the Practice Nurse.

Adult vaccinations are done by appointment with the practice nurse. In case of injury you may require a tetanus vaccination, although normally a full course of three followed by two booster doses at 10-year intervals are all that is required for lifelong protection.

Flu Vaccination

We particularly recommend this for patients of all ages with heart, chest or kidney disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases. It is also recommended for all people aged over 65 years, and for residents of nursing and rest homes. Please contact the reception staff in October for details of the dates of our flu vaccination clinics.   
  
 

Travel Immunisations

We can offer the full range of foreign travel immunisations to registered patients. However you'll probably need time to have the necessary course (the vaccines work better if spread out in time) so try to contact us about eight weeks in advance if possible. The Practice Nurses can give you up-to-date advice if you make an appointment with them. Wool Surgery is a registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre. A charge is payable for some foreign vaccinations.

There is further information about countries and vaccinations required on the links below

Europe & Russia	North America
Central America	South America
Carribean	Africa
Middle East	Central Asia
East Asia	Australasia and Pacific

It is important to make this initial appointment as early as possible  - at least 6 weeks before you travel - as a second appointment will be required with the practice nurse to actually receive the vaccinations.  These vaccines have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine.  Your second appointment needs to be at least 2 weeks before you travel to allow the vaccines to work.

Most travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge.  This is because travel vaccination is not included in the services provided by the NHS and therefore is a chargeable service.

Travel Health Questionnaire

To help us offer the appropriate advice, please fill out the online form before coming to see the nurse.

Travel Questionnaire

Forms Needing Signature

The number of forms doctors are being asked to complete is growing fast. They take us longer and longer! In some cases, someone other than a doctor can sign the form for you. The doctor is only allowed to sign a passport application if he has known you personally for two years. BUPA and other private medical insurance claim forms can be signed by your specialist. A parent should sign certificates for school.

Certificates for sickness for periods of less than a week should usually be signed by the sick person themselves using form SC1 available at the surgery – a medical certificate is not normally required. Holiday cancellation insurance does not need a doctor's letter – it needs an official claim form obtainable from your Insurers (a doctor usually does need to fill part of it in.)

If a doctor is asked to do any of the above or similar tasks, we will gladly comply – but will probably charge a fee.

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Other Non NHS Services

The NHS does not pay for medical examinations for HGV and PSV licenses, and for pre employment. Some insurance forms such as the certificate for elderly drivers' insurance appear deceptively simple but need a full medical examination for their completion. Examinations of this nature take quite a long time and are therefore expensive.

A special appointment will be required – not an ordinary surgery appointment – and the fee is payable by the patient at the time of the examination.

Examinations for life insurance companies will also need a special appointment. The fee in this case is usually payable by the Life Insurance Company concerned.  Advice on Occupational Health is available on request from Dr Irwin.