Coronavirus

Important update on referrals for anyone registered with a Leeds GP practice

As part of our response to protect the health of our patients and our staff, we’ve all had to make difficult decisions to suspend some services. In addition any existing planned appointments may either be cancelled, take place over the telephone or by video consultation.

This means we’re unable to refer for the following hospital services and all waiting lists are now closed.
• Outpatient appointments
• Diagnostic tests for most conditions – we’ll let you know if there’s any tests that you’ll need
• Cancer services – urgent referrals will initially involve a telephone call and you’ll be advised by your healthcare professional what will happen next
• Non-urgent sight impairment issues – we’ll continue to provide support for urgent issues

If you have an existing appointment, someone will contact you to confirm what happens next.

We’re still here for you in an emergency.

Your GP and our practice staff are doing their best to work for you during extremely challenging times. We ask for your patience and understanding as well as your support for all our colleagues working in the NHS. Please be kind to our staff working extremely hard to care for you.

We’re aware of some inaccurate information circulating on social media about ‘rescue packs’ for respiratory conditions like asthma.
‘Rescue packs’ are antibiotics and oral steroids for patients with pre-existing conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They are powerful medicines and should only be prescribed with careful discussion between you and your doctor.
Confusion and misinformation seems to be spreading and some people are contacting their GP practices requesting ‘rescue packs’ when they’ve not had them before.

If you have asthma or another respiratory condition, continue to manage it in the usual way. Please don’t contact your GP practice for a ‘rescue pack’ unless you’ve previously been prescribed one by your medical team.
If you have a respiratory condition like COPD and have symptoms of Covid19, go to https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 before doing anything else.
You can help by using NHS services wisely during this time of intense pressure. Thank you! Give us a retweet and help spread the message.

Alcohol and Drug Services

Services we provide relating to Alcohol and Drugs services in Harrogate.

Do I need help?

Take the alcohol test is an excellent online tool which helps you work out if you’re at risk of alcohol-related problems and some simple things you can do to reduce the risk.

Or alternatively, if you’d prefer it in paper format:

Alcohol brief intervention

Getting help

Forward Leeds

Forward Leeds has a wide range of services that support young people, adults and families in Leeds with alcohol and/or drug use.

It is the service that our Dr’s will refer you to if you need help, you can also self-refer to the service.

Here is the list of Forward Leeds services.

Or call them on 0113 8872477

Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous is a national network of free self-help groups aimed at helping people recover from alcoholism.

Some people find them very useful and our Doctors often recommend them.

The best way of finding out about them and your closest group is at Alcoholics Anonymous.

You may need Adobe Reader to view PDFs.

Annual Health Check

Health checks for people with a diagnosed problem

If you have one of the following conditions then you will be invited for an annual health check.

  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • Kidney disease
  • Heart disease
  • Asthma
  • Chronic bronchitis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Learning disabilities
  • Dementia

We invite all our patients with any of these conditions for an annual health check. You may need a blood test before the appointment, in which case the invitation will say this.

The appointment will be with the nurse and is for 20 minutes

Housebound and Older People

Additional support as you get older.

Clinical Care Co-ordinators

As you get older the range of problems you face can grow, to the point where it might be difficult to cope, know what to do for the best, or make it difficult for you to leave your house.

We have a small team of nurses at the practice who support older people with complex needs to sort out problems you can find yourself faced with.

The sorts of things they can help you with are:

  • Mobility issues
  • Memory problems
  • Loneliness and isolation
  • Housing issues
  • Practical issues such as help dressing and cleaning
  • Health issues

Their role is to help you understand the range of services available and support you in deciding the best course of action.

If you feel they could be of help then please speak to a member of  our reception team and we can arrange an appointment with our dedicated nurse Judy Town

District Nurses Tel : 0113 8430500

District Nurses carry out many roles for housebound patients, including:

  • General nursing procedures and investigations
  • Post-surgery care
  • Assessment of patients’ needs
  • Care for terminally ill patients
  • Loaning of equipment
  • Looking after wounds and leg ulcers
  • Educating patients about self-care

Referrals can be made by a Dr or nurse at the practice.

Community Matron

Community matrons specialise in caring for older people, whether they live in their own home or a care home. They help patients manage their health problems and try to prevent unnecessary admissions to hospital.

If a patient has to be admitted, they will communicate with the hospital team to ensure a smooth a discharge as possible.

Dementia services

It is very important that anyone who has problems with their memory has a proper assessment. If these problems are due to dementia then early diagnosis and referral have many benefits for the patient, their carer(s) and family. It can help them to plan and access the treatment and support they need and to improve their quality of life.

Please book with one of Dr’s who can make the initial assessment and refer you to the memory clinic if needs be.

Adult Social Care

Leeds city council help people aged over 18 to live as well as possible with their illness, disability or other problems. It can include help with things like washing, dressing, eating, getting out and about and keeping in touch with family and friends.

Adults who may need extra care and support include:

  • Older people
  • People with learning disabilities
  • People with physical disabilities
  • People with mental health problems
  • People with drug and/or alcohol issues
  • Carers

They offer a wide range of support and help and their adults and health page is a good place to start.

Or call them 0113 222 4401 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)

This can be done by you, a family member, a friend.

If you have difficulty using the telephone please email them at feedback@leeds.gov.uk.

Maternity Services

The support we offer during pregnancy.

Midwife

Contact No. Midwifery Office LGI 0113 2066241 or 0113 2065329

Our Midwife is available at the practice every Wednesday. You can book an appointment with her via the reception desk.

The role of the midwife

A midwife is a qualified nurse who has undertaken further training to provide and promote normal midwifery.

They help you to prepare for motherhood and promote good health for yourself and your baby by advising on the effects of drinking, smoking and good diet whilst you are pregnant.

The midwife guides you through your pregnancy and endeavours to detect any problems and make relevant referrals if necessary.

First appointment with the midwife

If you are pregnant you do not need to see the Dr in order to have your first appointment with the midwife.

You can arrange a booking appointment via the reception desk. This first appointment should be at about 9 weeks of pregnancy.

Due date calculator

The Midwife will discuss your options for delivery, arrange appropriate referrals and provide you with dietary advice.

She will also take blood tests and will subsequently discuss the results with you. Whilst you are pregnant and until your baby is one year old you are entitled to free prescriptions and dental treatment. The Midwife will organise for an exemption certificate to be signed and sent off.

During The Pregnancy

Your maternity book lists when you will be seen by the Midwife, Doctor and hospital through your pregnancy. Should you have any concerns at any other time you can contact your midwife or, if she is not available, make an appointment to see a Doctor during normal surgery hours.

At some point during the course of your pregnancy, the Health Visitor will meet you to talk to you about her role in your care and about the childhood vaccination programme.

After Your Birth

After delivery, your Midwife will visit you at home to help you and your baby. Following the birth, she will visit you on your first day at home. When your baby is five days old she will carry out the Guthrie test (which is a special screening test that the Midwife will give you information about) and at ten days old she will discharge you and your baby from her care. Extra visits may be arranged according to need.

Your Health Visitor will visit you at home when your baby is between 10 and 14 days old and can advise on feeding, weaning and any family issues you may have.

About 6 weeks after your birth you should make an appointment to see your doctor to discuss contraception and any concerns you have about your own health.

Breastfeeding

It takes time for you and your baby to learn how to breastfeed.

The NHS Choices page on breast feeding might be useful.

Your midwife can also offer support and advice.

There are also a number of national services offering local support groups, which can be accessed via their websites:

Social prescribing service

The term ‘social prescribing’ is used to describe a service which supports people to access a range of non-medical services and activities in their local area.

Social prescribing can help people with different social, emotional or practical needs to find the right support and improve their health and wellbeing.

The service can help you:

  • Get support to improve your physical health.
  • Find employment or volunteering opportunities or learn a new skill.
  • Tackle money, housing, work or benefits issues.
  • Cope with a particular condition or difficulty.
  • Access ways of improving your emotional wellbeing such as befriending schemes, peer support or arts and leisure activities.

Our local service is run by Patient Empowerment Project (PEP).

To make an appointment please contact them on 0113 279 5870 or email pep@barca-leeds.org.

Advocacy Services

Advocacy means helping another person to communicate their views and wishes.

GPs often act as advocates for patients when dealing with issues in the hospital or by making sure that their patients’ and/or families’ voices are heard when a decision is needed about their care.

Advocacy involves looking at choices together and helping patients to make decisions. It may be writing a letter of support or communicating on behalf of the patient.

When advocates who are not part of social services or the NHS are needed, they can be found in Leeds at:

Physio First

Physio First offers assessment and advice for musculoskeletal problems.

Physio First

This service is for you if you have recent onset: TENDON SPRAIN OR MUSCLE SPRAIN, BACK OR NECK PAIN, ELBOW, WRIST OR HAND PAIN, HIP, KNEE OR ANKLE PAIN. 

Please contact the surgery to make an appointment for an assessment. These clinics are held at the Gables Surgery on Monday morning every fortnight.

Bereavement

Online

For general advice about bereavement you might find the NHS choices article on bereavement useful.

If you are looking for advice about dealing with the practical aspects (such as legal issues) of someone dying then try the Bereavement Advice Centre.

The Leeds Bereavement Forum collates allot of information on the services available in Leeds.

In person

There are also several organisations and charities that provide specialist advice and support to those that have been bereaved:

Information for Carers

Who is a carer?

Many carers are not known by their GP practice as there is confusion around how to define the term ‘carer’.

A carer is a person of any age (including children) who provides unpaid support to a partner, relative, friend or neighbour who couldn’t get by without their help. This could be due to old age, frailty, disability, a serious health condition, mental ill health or substance misuse. Parents of children who are disabled or who have a serious health condition are also considered to be carers.

It is estimated that 10% of patients are carers.

Improving carer identification

As a practice, we want to increase the number of people on our carers’ register so that we can look after you better. We do this by:

  • Asking patients with long-term conditions to name their carers
  • Running awareness-raising campaigns to get carers to tell us about their caring responsibilities

What we offer to improve healthcare for carers

  • Flu vaccination – most carers are eligible for a free flu vaccination to protect themselves and the person they care for
  • Regular health check appointments to help you keep fit and well
  • More flexible appointments
  • Carer support groups
  • Referrals to carers’ services for more specialised information, advice and support

Dedicated services for carers

If you care for someone and would like additional support then the following services may help