Welcome to Northgate Medical Centre

We are located on the 1st Floor, Fountains Building, Delamere Street, Chester, CH1 4DS

YOU WILL FIND US ON THE 1ST FLOOR - BLUE RECEPTION AREA

Main Telephone: 01244 385553

We would like to offer a warm welcome to the Northgate Medical Centre surgery practice website.

 The doctors and nurses at the practice in Chester take pride in offering the highest standard of patient-centred healthcare.

There are 4 separately run GP practices in the Fountains Building, if you register with us you'll be seen at Northgate Medical Centre only.

Last updated 15.5.19

Extended Hours

Do you have trouble making a GP appointment during the day due to work commitments?

Did you know that the local CCG runs a GP Extended Hours service for people that have trouble making a GP appointment because they are unable to take time off work?

GP Extended HoursClick Here for More Information

Early Morning Extended Hour Appointments

WerbeFabrik / Pixabay

At the practice are now pleased to offer a new service for our patients that are not able to visit the surgery during normal working hours.  This is available on Wednesdays  between 07:00 and 08:00.  These appointments are strictly by appointment only, other surgery services will not be available until 08:00.

If you would like to make an appointment or would like further information, please speak to one of our receptionists on 01244 385553.

Please note that this service is additional to the Extended Hours service run by the CCG.

Missed Appointments

During FEBRUARY 2019, approx 129 appointments were missed by patients.

Please let reception know if you are unable to attend your appointment so that we can offer it to another patient.

If you are registered for Patient Access you can cancel your appointment on here.

Dental Infections

Please note that we do not prescribe antibiotics for dental infections. This is following advice from the British Medical Association.
If you suspect you have a dental infection you should attend your dentist for treatment.
If you are not registered with a dentist you should phone NHS 111 for advice on emergency dental clinics or attend A&E if you feel it is an emergency.

Sexual Health

Although sexual health is in then same building as Northgate Medical Centre, we care completely separate organisations.  We are unable to connect any calls to this service from our telephone system. If you need help with any sexual health problems, please call 0300 247 0200 or visit https://www.gosexualhealth.co.uk/

Ovarian Cancer Awareness #OvarIt


#takeover #startmakinganoise 
MARCH IS OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Only three per cent of women in the UK feel very confident about naming an ovarian cancer symptom. Target Ovarian Cancer want to change this.
Take a look at how to recognise the symptoms of ovarian cancer.
What are the symptoms?
  • Persistent pelvic or abdominal pain (that’s your tummy and below)
  • Increased abdominal size/persistent bloating – not bloating that comes and goes
  • Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
  • Needing to wee more urgently or more often than usual
Occasionally there can be other symptoms such as changes in bowel habits, extreme fatigue (feeling very tired), unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite. Any post-menopausal bleeding should always be investigated by a GP.
Symptoms will be:
  • Frequent – they usually happen more than 12 times a month
  • Persistent – they don’t go away
  • New – they are not normal for you and may have started in the last year
If you regularly experience any of these symptoms – and they are not normal for you – visit your GP.
It is unlikely that your symptoms are caused by a serious problem, but it is important to get checked out.
Find information about Ovarian Cancer visit:
http://www.targetovariancancer.org.uk

Breast Cancer Screening Helpline

If you would like to discuss any concerns regarding breast screening please ring: 0800 169 2692

CQC Rating

Car Parking Charges

Please be aware of the new changes to the

Council Car Park Charges

 

 

Publication of Earnings

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working in Northgate Medical Centre in the last financial year was £57,838 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 2 full time GPs and 5 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

accuRx text service

We have introduced a new text messaging service that allows us to instant message you from within your medical record. This allows the doctors, nurses and admin staff to send important messages regarding results, medication, referrals, recalls, remind you to book an appt or just send advice.

If you do not wish to have this service please let us know and we can update your details to stop these being sent out to you.

Closed for Staff Training Dates 2019

The surgery will be closed for staff training on the following dates between 12:00-17:00.

Tuesday 18th June 2019

Thursday 25th July 2019

Tuesday 20th August 2019

Tuesday 24th September 2019

Wednesday 30th October 2019

Thursday 28th November 2019

Tuesday 17th December 2019

If you require urgent medical advice during this time, you can ring the surgery number on 01244 385553 and you will be diverted to GP Out of Hours or ring NHS 111.

During a staff training day, all telephone calls will be forwarded to the NHS111 service for triage before being passed to the NHS Western Cheshire GP Out of Hours Service.

Extended Hours: 0300 123 7740 – Option 3

Cervical Screening Awareness


 

#SmearTestsSaveLives

Cervical screening prevents 75% of cervical cancers from developing yet one in four women don’t attend. You can help us change this!

We want to increase awareness and make it easier for everyone to take up their smear test invitation.

 

Awareness Campaigns

13th-19th May is Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental health problems can affect anyone, any day of the year, and we’re always on hand to provide information and support for anyone that needs it. But this week is a great time to have a chat with a friend, family member or colleague and have think about your own wellbeing too.

Relaxation tips poster

Six simple relaxation tips to think about and help you and your friends, family or colleagues focus on your mental wellbeing. To find out more information on relaxtion, you can visit our information page.

https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/mental-health-awareness-week-2019/

#mentalhealthawarenessweek

Twitter - @mindcharity

Are you looking after someone? Please read this...

Do we know you are a Carer? Or do you have a Carer?

Are you providing help and support to a relative, partner or friend who cannot manage because of disability, illness or frailty?

Let us know by completing a  Carer Registration form (available from your GP Surgery reception)

Hand the completed form to your GP Surgery who will make a note on your medical records of the person you care for, that you are a Carer and on your records that you are a Carer.

If you would like us to refer you to Cheshire West Carers Support, please also sign the consent on the form. They will send you information such as regular newsletter, how to register for Carer's Emergency Card. They will inform you of any events happening in your area, advice and support available, including access to respite, emotional and financial support.

Current Newsletter (click this link or copy in to your web browser):

https://cheshireandwarringtoncarers.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/draft-pub-jan2018_v1.pdf

For further details on their website click on this link:

http://cheshireandwarringtoncarers.org/

or contact the Helpline on 0300 102 0008

(Mon-Fri, 9am till 5pm)

Twitter page: @cheshirecarers1

The Carer's Link for Northgate Medical Centre is Julia McEwen and Lynne Symms.

Flu Vaccinations

qimono / Pixabay

 

FLU VACCINATION 2019

We will start our next Winter Flu campaign this September 2019.

Free flu vaccinations are only available to people in specific groups.

The NHS vaccination programme provides FREE vacs to the following people:-

  • Those aged 65 years or older.
  • People suffering from Asthma, COPD, Chronic Heart Disease, Chronic Liver Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Chronic Neurological Disease, Diabetes, Problems with Spleen, those suffering with a weakened immune system, taking certain medications, pregnant patients and carers

We will send text messages to those with a mobile phone registered, emails and letters to all of those people that are registered at the practice and are eligible for a free flu vaccination. Please ensure we have an up to date mobile phone number for you or you may not receive the reminder. If you are not eligible for a free NHS flu vaccination, you are able to visit your local pharmacy and they will be able to provide and administer your vaccination for a small fee.  Please contact your local pharmacy for more information about this service.

For more information with regards to the flu vaccine, please vist the NHS Choices website at http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/who-should-have-flu-vaccine.aspx

Delay in smear results

Please be aware that there is currently a delay in smear results coming back from the laboratory.

There has been an increased uptake in smears and there has been a change in labs so they are experiencing about a two month delay on results coming back.

Please be assured your result will be checked, but it may be more delayed than usual.

We don't sent results for smears from the practice. This is done from central screening so once they have your result you will receive a letter.

Cervical Screening & HPV Update

Cervical screening and HPV (human papilomavirus) update

What is cervical screening?

Cervical screening (which used to be called the ‘smear test’) involves taking a small sample of cells from the surface of your cervix. The sample is sent to a laboratory and checked under a microscope to see if there are any abnormal cells. Abnormal cells are not cancer, but they could develop into cancer if they are left untreated. Depending on the result of your test, your sample may be tested for the types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause cervical cancer.

As a next step you may be offered another test (called a colposcopy) to look at your cervix more closely. If the person carrying out the colposcopy finds abnormal cells, they will suggest that you have the cells removed, usually during another
colposcopy. This is how screening can prevent cervical cancer. Here is a link to the new Cervical screening leaflet:

Cervical_screening_helping_you_decide

New Practice Manager

Mr Gary Howorth will be retiring at the end on June. Our new Practice Manager is Dawn Riley She started here on the 1st April. I will be here until the 30th June, but Dawn will take charge.

 

Can't Make Your Appointment?

If for any reason, you are unable to keep your appointment, please let us know by calling 01244 385553.

By cancelling your appointment we may be able to offer it to somebody else.

Repeat Prescriptions

Repeat prescriptions cannot be taken over the telephone. You can order your repeat medication via:-

  • Calling into the surgery and either dropping off the printed repeat medication slip attached to your prescription or by completing a repeat medication form at reception.
  • Using the on-line Patient Access System.
  • Telephoning your normal pharmacy to order on your behalf.

Please remember that it takes us 48 business hours to process your prescription. Prescriptions handed in on a Friday will not be ready for collection until the following Tuesday.

Patient Access


Patient Access will allow you to make appointments with your doctor, order repeat medication and view a summary of your medical records.

If you have not registered for patient access, you can either register online using the button above or pop into the surgery with Photo ID so that we can issue you with your registration paperwork. Please note, if you register online you will only have limited access to the system, you will still need to bring in Photo ID so that we can lift the restrictions and give you full access.

Go To Patient AccessClick Here

eConsult

We now offer the ability to obtain advice from your doctor via the internet using our eConsult service.

By answering a few questions, we can best direct your query to either an out of hours doctor, a pharmacy or one of our doctors at the surgery.

Click the button below to start your eConsultation.

eConsultClick Here to Start Your eConsult

Zero Tolerance Policy

The Practice takes it very seriously if a member of staff or one of the doctors or nursing team is treated in an abusive or violent way.

The Practice supports the government's 'Zero Tolerance' campaign for Health Service Staff. This states that GPs and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused. To successfully provide these services a mutual respect between all the staff and patients has to be in place. All our staff aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances. They would respectfully remind patients that very often staff could be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time.  The staff understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint.

However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the Practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police being contacted.

In order for the practice to maintain good relations with their patients the practice would like to ask all its patients to read and take note of the occasional types of behaviour that would be found unacceptable:

  • Using bad language or swearing at practice staff
  • Any physical violence towards any member of the Primary Health Care Team or other patients, such as pushing or shoving
  • Verbal abuse towards the staff in any form including verbally insulting the staff
  • Racial abuse and sexual harassment will not be tolerated within this practice
  • Persistent or unrealistic demands that cause stress to staff will not be accepted. Requests will be met wherever possible and explanations given when they cannot
  • Causing damage/stealing from the Practice's premises, staff or patients
  • Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently
We ask you to treat your GPs and their staff courteously at all times.

Removal from the practice list

A good patient-doctor relationship, based on mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care. The removal of patients from our list is an exceptional and rare event and is a last resort in an impaired patient-practice relationship. When trust has irretrievably broken down, it is in the patient’s interest, just as much as that of the practice, that they should find a new practice. An exception to this is on immediate removal on the grounds of violence e.g. when the Police are involved.

Removing other members of the household

In rare cases, however, because of the possible need to visit patients at home it may be necessary to terminate responsibility for other members of the family or the entire household. The prospect of visiting patients where a relative who is no longer a patient of the practice by virtue of their unacceptable behaviour resides, or being regularly confronted by the removed patient, may make it too difficult for the practice to continue to look after the whole family. This is particularly likely where the patient has been removed because of violence or threatening behaviour and keeping the other family members could put doctors or their staff at risk.