In our surgery, we support people with learning disabilities as best as we can. Amber, who is part of our reception/admin team, is our learning disability lead. She monitors our patients and calls them in for their review when needed. Did you know that our Learning Disability patients have a review once a year?
They will come in on their birthday month to see the Nurse and the GP.
You will get to know your doctor and nurse better. The doctor will also be able to spot any health problems sooner so that you get the treatment you need to stay well.
You can ask your doctor questions about your health and tell them how you are feeling.
You can also talk about any treatment you are having or medicine you use.
Anyone aged 14 or over who is on their doctor’s learning disability register can have a free annual health check once a year.
The Surgery will contact you to get you booked in around your birthday month.
For some more information on Learning Disabilities and what we do to help people, see the below links:
If you would like to be referred to NeSS, please complete and return their referral form and questionnaires; these can be found in the document links below. These are used to gather information about your symptoms and daily functioning. Your GP will review your responses and determine the appropriate course of action, including referral for assessment and treatment. It is crucial to provide detailed and accurate information on the referral forms to facilitate the process. Failure to do so may delay or impede your referral.
You can also be referred using the Right to Choose pathway. Psychiatry UK is the largest Right to Choose provider, further information regarding their service can be found at: https://psychiatry-uk.com/ . If you would like to be referred to Psychiatry UK, please complete and return their questionnaires; these can be found in the document links below..
Please note that if you would prefer to use another Right to Choose provider, you will need to research their eligibility criteria and referral process and provide and complete all necessary forms and information. Please be aware that unless the provider is commissioned under the NHS, Bramcote Surgery will not enter into a Shared Care Agreement to prescribe any medication and as such, medication will need to be paid for privately. As of March 2024, commissioned providers include Axia, Clinical Partners, Dr J and Colleagues, Mind Professionals, Problem Shared, and Psychiatry UK.
Did you know we have a Mental Health and Wellbeing Coach in our surgery every Wednesday? Louis sees patients to help them develop practical tools and coping mechanisms to manage their mental health.
To access this service, you must be have an appointment and be referred by the GP.
If you want to know more about this service, take a look at the information booklet below:
Our practice is proud to support the NHS Breast Screening Programme. If you’ve been invited for breast screening, we hope you’ll choose to have it.
The breast screening programme is a routine X-ray examination of the breast. Breast screening can detect very small cancers. Small cancers are usually at a very early stage and are more easily treated.
Breast screening is currently offered at 3-yearly intervals to women aged from 50 up to their 71st birthday in England.
Breast screening for women over 70 years is available upon request.
Currently there is a trial to examine the effectiveness of offering some women one extra screen from 47 up to their 50th birthday and one from 71 to 73.
Women will first be invited for screening within the 3 years after their 50th birthday, although in some areas they will be invited from the age of 47 as part of the age extension trial.
Women may be eligible for breast screening before the age of 50, and/or at different screening intervals, if they have a very high risk of developing breast cancer.
Family history breast screening
For more information, please visit the frequently asked questions section here.
Implants
If you have implants you will normally be able to have a mammogram, but please inform the screening adminstration staff beforehand.
Pregnant or breast feeding
Please rebook your screening appointment a minimum of three months after giving birth and a minimum of three months after stopping breast feeding.
Invitations for routine screening
The breast screening service invites women by GP practice, so the first invitation may not be received in the year women turn 50. All women registered with a doctor will be invited before their 53rd birthday. Appointments for screening may be offered at one of the following:
Breast Institute, City Hospital
Ropewalk House, in the centre of Nottingham
Mobile screening unit which visits areas distant from Nottingham City
The letter of invitation will include:
A leaflet about breast screening
A map of the location
The date and time of appointment
Attending for routine breast screening
Your mammogram will be performed by one of the radiographic team. The staff performing your mammogram will be female.
A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. At least two pictures will be taken of each breast. Mammograms only take a few minutes to complete.
You will receive your result in the post within three weeks. If you have not heard from us within three weeks please contact us on: 0115 993 6649.
Attending for a second visit for breast screening
Some women may be asked to come for a second visit. All second visits will take place at the Breast Institute, normally on a Wednesday morning.
It may be necessary to have another mammogram or one or two tests during this visit. When you arrive for this visit a specialist team will explain what will happen and keep you informed at all stages.
Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels. This usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55.
It can sometimes happen earlier naturally. Or for reasons such as surgery to remove the ovaries (oophorectomy) or the uterus (hysterectomy), cancer treatments like chemotherapy, or a genetic reason. Sometimes the reason is unknown.
Perimenopause is when you have symptoms before your periods have stopped. You reach menopause when you have not had a period for 12 months.
As healthcare professionals, we often use the term menopause as a “catch-all” whether you’re going through perimenopause or menopause.
Perimenopause
Perimenopause is the period before the menopause.
Perimenopause starts when the amount of oestrogen made by the ovaries begins to decline. It usually begins in your 40s, although it can start earlier.
Symptoms
Menopause and perimenopause symptoms can have a big impact on your life, including relationships and work.It is thought that there are at least 35 symptoms of the menopause including:
It can be really helpful to keep a symptom tracker so you can talk to your GP or nurse about the symptoms you’re experiencing. Here are two good ones we recommend to our patients:
As life expectancy has increased, you can expect to be post-menopausal for at least one third of your life. This is why it’s important to think of the menopause as a long-term female hormone deficiency.
Like any other deficiency, this is associated with several health risks.
Osteoporosis: This is a condition that weakens the bones and makes them likely to break much more easily. Bone is a living tissue which regenerates throughout our lives, and oestrogen helps to keep your bones strong and healthy. The risk of osteoporosis increases during menopause, when bones begin to break down more quickly than they can be rebuilt. Women can lose up to 10% of their bone strength in the five years after menopause, as a direct result of the drop in oestrogen.
Cardiovascular disease: Oestrogen helps to keep your blood vessels healthy, and can also help to control cholesterol levels. This is why low oestrogen can affect the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and vascular dementia.
Diabetes: Oestrogen is important at maintaining blood sugar levels and low levels of oestrogen can lead to metabolic changes occurring in the body. This can lead to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes
Dementia and clinical depression: Oestrogen and testosterone are really important to maintain the function of your brain. The cells in the brain need these hormones to process information and work properly. After the menopause, women are more likely to develop dementia and also clinical depression when the levels of these protective hormones reduce.
Other diseases: Research has shown that women who have an early menopause also have an increased risk of lung diseases including asthma, kidney diseases, bowel cancer and irritable bowel syndrome, osteoarthritis and also some auto-immune conditions. These risks increase if you have an early menopause, but it’s important to know that these risks can be reduced if you take hormone treatment such as HRT.
There are things you can do to help with symptoms. There are also medicines that can replace the missing hormones and help relieve your symptoms.
Things you can do
Lifestyle changes can really help reduce perimenopause and menopause symptoms:
A healthy balanced diet is good for general health.
Spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine (tea and coffee as well as chocolate and cola drinks) can make hot flushes worse so avoiding these may help.
Up your intake of vitamins B, C, D and E.
Drink lots of water, this could be infused with fruit, or sugar free squash, anything which helps you to remain hydrated.
Take up regular exercise that you enjoy. It needn’t be a chore to move your body, take a walk with a friend, join a class, try relaxing activities like yoga or Pilates. Regular exercise may improve hot flushes and night sweats and improve sleep as well as helping you maintain or lose weight. Weight bearing exercise such as walking, running and dancing can improve bone strength.
Take up meditation, breathing exercises or mindfulness.
Get a good night’s sleep of seven to eight hours a night if you can and if night sweats or insomnia keep you awake, speak to your doctor.
Treatment
The main medicine treatment for perimenopause and menopause symptoms is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which replaces the hormones that are at low levels. There are other treatments if you cannot, or choose not to, have HRT.
The NHS Health Check is a free check-up of your overall health. It can tell you whether you’re at higher risk of getting certain health problems, such as:
The check is for people who are aged 40 to 74 who do not have any of the following pre-existing conditions:
heart disease
chronic kidney disease
diabetes
high blood pressure (hypertension)
atrial fibrillation
transient ischaemic attack
inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia)
heart failure
peripheral arterial disease
stroke
currently being prescribed statins to lower cholesterol
previous checks have found that you have a 20% or higher risk of getting cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years
You should have regular check-ups if you have one of these conditions. Your care team will be able to give you more information about this.
How will the NHS Health Check help me?
You will have your individual cardiovascular risk (risk of getting conditions related to the heart or circulation) calculated and explained to you.
While the cardiovascular risk levels vary from person to person, everyone is at risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and some types of dementia.
Your NHS Health Check can detect potential health problems before they do real damage.
What happens at the NHS Health Check?
An NHS Health Check takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
The health professional – often a nurse or healthcare assistant – will ask you some questions about your lifestyle and family history, measure your height and weight, and take your blood pressure and do a blood test. The blood test will be done either before the check with a blood sample from your arm, or at the check.
Your blood test results can show your chances of getting heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes.
If you’re over 65, you will also be told the signs and symptoms of dementia to look out for.
You will then receive personalised advice to improve your risk. This could include talking about:
-how to improve your diet and the amount of physical activity you do
You’ll be invited for a free NHS Health Check every 5 years if you’re between 40 and 74 years of age and do not already have a pre-existing condition.
If you’re not sure if you’re eligible for an NHS Health Check and would like one, or if you are eligible but have not had an NHS Health Check in the last 5 years, ask at a GP surgery for an appointment.
Nottinghamshire Bowel Cancer Screening Programme
The Bowel Cancer Screening Programme Eastern Hub, based at the Queen’s Medical Centre, is one of the five Hubs in the English NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) responsible for screening the population for bowel cancer in England.
The FOBt screening programme invites people aged 56-74 who are registered with an NHS general practice to complete a FIT test every two years. The testing kit is posted to them at their homes.
Having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives more. For advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing and to create a free NHS-approved ‘Mind Plan’ visit nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters.
Insight Healthcare
When life is hard or you’re feeling overwhelmed, talking things through can really help. We offer free, confidential NHS talking therapies across the East Midlands. Our service is open with COVID-19 safety measures in place.
To arrange an appointment, fill in the form on our website or give us a call on 0300 555 5582 (local rate).
Travel advice and immunisations that are covered by the NHS are available at the surgery.
Please complete the Travel Questionnaire (download BELOW or collect from reception)
This must be completed and given in at least 6 weeks before you travel. Failure in doing this may mean we will be unable to provide an appointment for travel vaccinations.
Once you have handed your form into reception, our Practice Nurse will review which vaccines are required and we will then contact you to inform you/ book an appointment if required.
