Clinics and Services

The practice provides a full range of sexual health and family planning services, this includes:

• Advice on free contraception including emergency contraception
• Coil and implant fittings and removals
• Free condoms
• Cervical smears
• Free Chlamydia & Gonorrhoea Screening for young people aged 16-24 (see below for full info)
• Free HIV screening for all new patients aged 16+
• Sexual health screening for those patients that think they may have symptoms of Chlamydia, Trichomonas, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, HIV, Herpes, Cystitis, Thrush and Bacterial Vaginosis

The practice does not offer a full contact tracing and Partner Notification service for those patients who test positive for any of the above sexually transmitted infections, but we will refer to services that do provide partner contact.

The above services are provided to any patient across the borough, you do not need to be registered with us to access these services. Just speak to someone on reception about accessing these services. You can contact reception online by completing the Ask Reception a Question form.

Sexual Health Services across the borough

In addition to the services provided by the practice, patients can also access services at a number of other locations across the borough.

A full sexual health service is provided by the Wolverton Centre at Kingston Hospital. View their website at www.sexualhealthkingston.co.uk to see a full list of services and see clinic times.

If you have been advised by the surgery to submit a contraceptive pill review please complete the Contraceptive Pill Review form.

Young People’s Sexual Health Services across the borough

There are a number of sexual health services available to young people across Kingston as follows:

• The Point @ The Wolverton Centre, Kingston Hospital (for patients aged 18 and under) Tel: 020 8974 9331
• KU19 Clinics – Tel: 0208 339 4783 (if you get through to voicemail please leave a message – they will get back to you)

You can find full details of all these services, plus others available across South West London at www.gettingiton.org.uk.

Information about the C-Card Scheme, a free condom distribution scheme for 13 – 24 year olds can also be found in the C-Card Outlets in the Kingston Borough document.

Invitation to receive a free Chlamydia test

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection and it is estimated that 1 in 10 sexually active young people (16 – 24) in the UK carry the infection. Chlamydia can be transmitted through unprotected sex, including anal and oral sex, even mutual touching and sharing of sex toys can spread Chlamydia.

If undiagnosed, Chlamydia can cause infertility problems – being unable to become pregnant. Some of the common symptoms for females include bleeding between periods or after sex; lower abdominal pain; vaginal or urethral discharge. For males common symptoms are pain when passing urine; pain in the testicles; urethral discharge.

However, it is important to remember that a person may have Chlamydia for months or even years and have no symptoms.

You are strongly encouraged to take a Chlamydia test:

• If you have a new sexual partner (you should also encourage them to have a test)
• If a recent previous partner has tested positive for Chlamydia
• Once a year to ensure that you stay healthy

Testing is very easy: for men, all you have to do is provide a urine sample in the pot provided, allowing at least a one hour interval since you last passed urine. For women, you will need to provide us with a swab which you can take yourself, one of the doctors or nurses can tell you how to do this. You will also need to provide a contact number to be notified of your results.

Please be assured that any information you supply will remain confidential.

If your test results are positive, you will be notified by a trained advisor who will give you support, advice and make an appointment at one of a number of treatment sites. They will also talk to you about the people you have recently had sex with. They might need to be tested and treated to stop them having problems in the future or passing the infection on. We will help you sort this part out. Treatment for Chlamydia is usually a one-dose course of antibiotics. We would like to invite you for a free Chlamydia test. Please contact us on 020 8399 2280 to arrange a time for you to drop-in. Please see the below leaflet which provides you with some more information about the National Chlamydia Screening programme.

NCSP Leaflet

If you are not sexually active, you do not need to be tested.

Young Peoples Services

All young people are entitled to be seen on their own without a parent or carer present and without a parent or carer’s consent. The doctor or nurse who sees you will assess whether or not they feel that you are competent to be seen on your own in line with the Gillick and Fraser competencies. This means that the clinician will decide whether or not they feel that you are mature enough to make your own decisions and to understand the implications of those decisions. Anything that you say to a doctor or nurse whilst here at the practice will be confidential. The only time at which this information would be shared with anyone else would be if there were concerns for your safety or that of others.

Cervical Screening

Cervical smears are usually taken by the nurses and can be done in a single 20 minute appointment. If you are aged 25 to 64 and have not had a Cervical Smear in the last five years, please contact the practice and make an appointment to have one done. This is important as cervical smears are the best way of detecting the early stages of abnormalities in the cervix which may leads to cervical cancer. Your smear can be done at any time during your cycle so long as you are not bleeding but the optimum time is mid cycle, i.e. between days 12 – 16.

Contraception and Family Planning

We provide a full family planning service at the practice including advice on sexual health, free contraception (including free emergency contraception) and pre-conceptual care.

If you have been advised by the surgery to submit a contraceptive pill review please submit a Contraceptive Pill Review form.

Contraception/Sexual Health Clinic for young people

Childhood Vaccinations

The Childhood Immunisation programme is designed to give your child protection against a number of diseases including Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (whooping cough), Polio, Hib, Pneumococcal, Meningitis, Measles, Mumps and Rubella. Your child’s primary immunisations are due at the following intervals:

• Two months old
• Three months old
• Four months old
• Twelve to thirteen months old
• Three years and four months (pre-school booster)

Please try and ensure that you adhere to the above schedule. Your baby will normally have their first immunisations with the practice nurse on the same day as your post-natal check. All subsequent immunisations are best done by appointment with the nurse during normal surgery times. We have a nurse here on a daily basis.

Occupational Health Vaccination Service

Although we provide routine immunisations for Children and Adults in line with the NHS Immunisation Schedule and also provide a Travel Vaccination service, there is no contractual obligation for GP practices to provide an Occupational Health service for its patients. As per the British Medical Association advice, responsibility rests with the employer under Health and Safety Legislation, and in occupations where there is a risk to health from any form of work related infection it is the employer’s duty to assess that risk and, if present, to protect the workforce.

In the case of medical students, the Medical Schools are legally responsible for providing a full occupational health service to their students and applicants. This should include appropriate training for example in risk reduction and coping with needle stick injuries.

For those people that are self employed and in need of Occupational Health vaccinations, we would suggest that you seek this service via a private provider. The SameDay doctor service in New Malden is open seven days a week and can provide this service for you by appointment. Their contact number is 020 7631 0090.

Diabetes, Asthma and Heart Disease

Patients suffering from these conditions are encouraged to have checks for these at least once a year. A Diabetes Clinic is run by Dr Hanson and Dr Polomcic and our nurse fortnightly. We offer all of our Diabetic patients an Annual Review along with a six monthly blood test in order to monitor their diabetes.

Asthma checks can also be booked with one of our practice nurses and we like to review all of our Astma and COPD patients on an annual basis.

NHS Health Checks are available to patients aged 40 -74 to help identify if you are at future risk of developing Heart Disease. These simple checks involve a fasting blood test followed by some lifestyle questions.

If you have been advised by the surgery to submit an annual review of your asthma symptoms please complete an Asthma Review form.

If you have been advised by the surgery to submit your blood pressure readings on a regular basis please complete a Blood Pressure Review form.

Psychological Help and Counselling

Sometimes we go through difficult times in our lives when we may experience feelings that worry us, and it is not always easy to talk about problems and to express your feelings. Here at Claremont Medical Centre we offer an in house counselling service, with counsellors that come from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. With a referral from your doctor, your designated counsellor can work with you towards improving your well-being.

Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. Counselling offers you a safe, confidential place, which is just for you to talk about your life and anything that may be confusing, painful or uncomfortable. It may be a situation that has gone on for some time, in which things suddenly seem unbearable, as if everything is getting on top of you. This may leave you feeling stuck and helpless, and unable to see a way out. Alternatively, it may be that you want help dealing with feelings of sadness, depression, anxiety, or low self-worth that don’t seem to be connected to any particular event. A counsellor will listen to the way you feel, without judging you, offering a professional therapeutic relationship. This will give you an opportunity to hear your own voice and process your feelings, to help you to make choices that could bring changes to your current situation.

If you feel you could benefit from talking to a counsellor, please book an appointment to discuss this with your doctor.

If you would prefer to see someone privately, you may find www.counselling-directory.org.uk helpful in finding a suitable Counsellor.

Kick-it Stop Smoking

If you are a smoker and would like to quit, you can see our in-house specialist stop smoking advisor for free advice and support. If you would like to stop smoking please call us to book an appointment.

If you have been advised by the surgery to submit a smoking review on a regular basis please complete a Smoking Review form.

eDrinkCheck

e-drink check is a pilot programme run by NHS Kingston which uses a website designed to help you work out whether you’re drinking too much, and if so, what you can do about it. The programme combines using the website with an assessment appointment and some brief motivational phone calls. It’s a discreet and non-judgemental way of looking at your drinking in your own time and at your own pace. You can ask your GP to refer you to the programme, or use the website: www.e-drink-check.kingston.gov.uk.

Minor Surgery

Dr Kochhar provides a monthly clinic for small minor surgery operations, this includes injections, aspirations and excisions of small skin lumps. He also runs a monthly cryotherapy clinic. If you would like to book in to one of these clinics please ask reception for a telephone consultation with Dr Kochhar in the first instance to discuss your needs.

Bowel Cancer Screening

About one in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime with the risk increasing with age. If bowel cancer is detected at the earliest stage, there is over a 90% chance of survival and it is one of the most successful cancers to treat.

Symptoms include:

• A change in your normal bowel habit lasting 3 weeks or more. E.G. Loose stools, diarrhoea, increased frequency
• Bleeding from the bottom (rectum) and/or blood in your stools lasting 3 weeks or more
• Unexplained extreme tiredness and/or weight loss
• A pain or lump in your abdomen and/or back passage

Most symptoms won’t be bowel cancer but sometimes it is easy to dismiss or leave them for longer than you should. If you have any symptoms and are over 50 years old, please call us and make an appointment for a bowel check with one of the GPs here at the surgery.

For further information, you can also go to www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk.