CLINICS AND SERVICES
Advanced Nurse Practitioner Clinics
Our advanced nurse practitioners are highly qualified and experienced in managing and prescribing for a wide variety of health concerns and offer an invaluable service to patients of this practice.
Chronic Disease Management
If you have a condition that requires to be monitored annually, the practice will contact you. We aim to complete these reviews in your birthday month, however, if you have not heard from us, please telephone and make your appointment. We may have to book more than one appointment depending on the conditions you have.
Spirometry
Minor Surgery
In order to save a lengthy delay in waiting for hospital appointments, we offer a minor surgery service.
Pharmacist
We are fortunate in having a practice-based, non-dispensing pharmacist who works closely with the clinical and administrative staff. The pharmacist advises on all prescribing issues and matters relating to public health and liaises with the community pharmacists, hospital departments and the Primary Care Trust.
Patient Interpreting Service
We have access to an Interpreting Service by prior arrangement; please let reception know if you require an interpreter.
Family Planning Services
Our team can offer a full range of family planning services and advice. Nurses will give general advice about contraception and will arrange a prescription for the contraceptive pill. IUCD (coil) and Nexplanon insertions are carried out by appointment. If you require emergency contraception, please visit any pharmacy as soon as possible. The sooner it is taken, the more effective it is.
Preparing for insertion and or removal of a coil
Cervical Screening Tests
NHS Scotland operates a recall system where invitations are sent at appropriate intervals asking you to attend for a cervical screening. Routine cervical screenings are carried out by the practice nurses.
Ante-Natal Care
During your pregnancy, routine care is co-ordinated by your midwife who has clinics in the practice.
If you have just found out that you are pregnant, please contact the Midwives at
NHS Fife Maternity website or telephone 01592 643355 and use extension 28374
Between 10am and 12pm Monday to Friday.
Baby Immunisations
NHS Fife Immunisation Team runs this clinic. You will be sent an appointment when your child is due for immunisations.
Vaccinations
All vaccinations, including those for travel are delivered through a central NHS hub or your local chemist.
Call the National Helpline for help and advice: 0800 030 8013
Sedatives For Scans / Procedures Performed By Organisations External To Nethertown Surgery
We are unable to prescribe sedatives, such as diazepam, for any procedure or scan being undertaken outside of Nethertown Surgery, this includes MRI scans and dental procedures.
If you feel you need sedation in such circumstances, please speak to the team undertaking the procedure or scan, as they are responsible for providing this if needed.
Sedatives are medicines which make patients sleepy and relaxed. There are several reasons why healthcare practitioners at Nethertown Surgery do not prescribe these medicines for procedures outside of our practice:
· GPs are not trained to provide the correct level of sedation for a procedure / scan. Providing too little sedation won’t help you, providing too much sedation can make you too sleepy, which could lead to the procedure being cancelled. Too much sedation can dangerously affect your breathing. After taking a sedative for a procedure or scan, you will need to be closely monitored to keep you safe.
· Although diazepam makes most people who take it sleepy, in some rare situations it can have an opposite effect and make people aggressive or agitated.
· Scans and hospital procedures are often delayed, therefore the team performing he procedure or scan should provide the sedation, to ensure you become sleepy and relaxed at the right time.
Feel free to show this policy to your hospital team or dentist.
Sedatives For Flying Policy
We are unable to prescribe sedatives, such as diazepam, to treat fear of flying.
Sedatives are medicines which can make you sleepy and relaxed. There are several reasons why healthcare practitioners at Nethertown Surgery do not prescribe these medicines to treat fear of flying:
If an emergency were to occur on a flight, being under the influence of this kind of medicine would worsen your ability to react.
By being sleepier, you will move around less. This increases your chances of suffering a blood clot, such as a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can be fatal.
Although diazepam makes most people who take it sleepy, in some rare situations it can have an opposite effect, and make people aggressive or agitated, which would be dangerous on a plane, and may lead you to suffering legal consequences.
Sedatives such as diazepam, are illegal in some countries. Transporting such drugs could lead to legal consequences in other countries.
We appreciate that fear of flying can have a significant impact on your quality of life, affecting ability to visit relatives abroad, attend family functions and enjoy family holidays. Therefore, we recommend either self-referring for talking therapy via the NHS wellbeing team or undertaking a fear of flying course as a safer and more effective treatment.
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/travel-assistance/flying-with-confidence
https://www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com/
https://www.gatwickairport.com/at-the-airport/passenger-services/Travel-advice/fear-of-flying/