Pregnancy

Several services are available for pregnant individuals; including some that you are able to refer yourself to.

Early Pregnancy Termination

Finding out that you are pregnant can be a shock when it is unplanned. If you find out early on in pregnancy, you can get help to make the right decision.

Termination of pregnancy is the same as abortion. It is a process that brings an end to the pregnancy. This is achieved either by giving medication to you or by a surgical procedure.

Patients are able to self refer for Termination Of Pregnancy. You do not need an appointment with any health professional prior to contacting for termination.

You should contact Burnley General Hospital to organise an appointment on 01282 803 767. If you need to contact the service after having an appointment then you should contact 01282 804 276.

Please click on the link for further information Abortion – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Here to Help
Congratulations on your great news and we wish you all the best. Shifa Surgery Ltd are here to help all you new mothers as at times it may seem daunting. 

Shifa Surgery Ltd will accommodate and support you through your pregnancy.  We recommend you inform us as soon as possible to give you the best possible care.

Please click on the link for further information: Pregnancy – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Found out you’re pregnant?
You can now book to access our maternity service through this website. You no longer need to book an appointment with your GP to access the maternity service, unless you have existing health problems. (If you are pregnant and do have existing health problems, please inform your GP so that they can review any medications that you are taking).

The Award-Winning Baby Buddy App  
Our free multi-award-winning, interactive pregnancy and parenting app Baby Buddy has been created to support parents, co-parents and caregivers, and to back up frontline practitioners’ work and communication. Baby Buddy provides trusted, evidence-based information and self-care tools, based on the latest research and is NHS-approved. 

Non NHS Services

The NHS provides free health care for most people.

We also offer private medicals which may be needed by any agency such as your employer or for overseas visa applications. Please contact the Practice Manager for further details.

It is important to understand that GPs are self employed and not all of the services we provide are covered by the NHS payments to the practice.

Example chargeable services:

  • Private prescription
  • Private sick note
  • Driving license
  • Private medical reports

Please expect a fee for non NHS services. The staff or your doctor should inform of any charges before carrying out non NHS work.

Learning Disability Support

The Health Facilitation Team are a team of nurses and nurse associates who are specialised in facilitating health care for people with learning disabilities of all ages.

The Health Facilitation Team will provide specialist advice and support to both people with a learning disability and to health services in order to reduce the health inequalities and premature mortality that people with a learning disability face.

The team will have a key role in enabling people to access mainstream health services to meet their health needs with a particular focus on annual health checks and health action plans.

The health team use and promote an app called Medii which focuses on empowering individuals with learning disabilities and autism, caregivers and the NHS with the tools they need to prioritise their health and well-being. The app is available by referral from your GP or Nurse.

Please book a routine appointment if you have any questions or require support/information. 

Medii App

Social Prescriber

Socioeconomic factors have consistently been found to have a greater impact on health than healthcare. 

In addition, frailty and long term conditions can negatively affect social and physical activity, finances, and relationships, which in turn can lead to a further decline in health and wellbeing

Shifa Surgery Ltd have an assigned Social Prescriber in-house who comes in one day a week currently where they can help you with all your social needs. 

  • Emerging evidence suggests that social prescribing can improve people’s health and wellbeing and reduce workload for healthcare professionals and demand in Primary and Secondary Services. 
  • Social prescribing is targeted at a range of patients, including those who are socially isolated and those with long term physical and/or mental health conditions.

If you wish to book an appointment with a Social Prescriber, please ring us or speak to Reception for more information.

Mental Health Support

An ‘APP’ is a member of the surgery team who works on ‘mental health prevention & promotion’.

They support with low-level mental health and wellbeing difficulties.

APPs are not counsellors, rather they will work collaboratively with you to understand your goals and guide you on how you can use strategies to manage your current mental health and wellbeing.

What does an APP do?

APPs can offer brief psychological support to patients of all ages registered to the practice.

This includes 4 wellbeing sessions, plus a follow-up that typically takes place 4-6 weeks after the final session.

Each session lasts for 45 minutes and these can be face-to-face, over the phone or through video consultation.

APPs can work with patients around a range of things that may be impacting their current mental health or wellbeing. This can include low mood, anxiety, worry, stress or sleeping difficulties.

The support may include helping to increase your understanding around anxiety, low mood or worrying, teaching relaxation techniques, advising on different stress management tools or offering sleep advice and tips. The support can also include learning more about the 5 Ways to Wellbeing or exploring ways to live a fuller & lifestyle.
You can be referred to an APP by speaking to your GP, Nurse or another clinician at the practice.

If you would like to find out more, please feel free to send your enquiry using the online consultation. Please select the admin query option and mention that you would like further information about APP mental health support.
The referral will be looked over to make sure the skills of an APP would be beneficial to support you.

If the referral is accepted, the APP will try to contact you via telephone or SMS to discuss more.

If it is felt you may benefit from alternative support the APP will let the person who referred you know.

Things to note

The Mental Health Prevention & Promotion Service is not a crisis service. If you require urgent or crisis support please contact the following services:

  • If you are in an emergency situation and need immediate support, you could contact 999 or attend your local A&E.
  • The Initial Response Service – 0800 0130 707 (providing urgent & general mental health support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
  • Samaritans – 116 123 (offering a listening service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

Minor Surgery

Minor surgery in primary care has long been held to be cost-effective and popular with patients. Shifa Surgery provides Minor surgery procedures in-house which include:

  • Cryotherapy
  • Therapeutic injections used in a variety of conditions – including:
    • Injections into joints (steroids but also perhaps viscosupplementation).
    • Aspiration of joints.
    • Injection of tennis and golfer’s elbow, or carpal tunnel injection.
  • Excisions
  • Incisions

Chronic Disease Management

If you have a long-term chronic condition that needs monitoring on a regular basis, the Practice will contact you to book an appointment for your review with the Practice Nurse or a clinician either by telephone or post. You may receive a text message to remind you of your appointment.

It is important to continue your regular check-ups and attend your appointments to ensure we carry on with the right care. We hold regular clinics to manage chronic diseases in the surgery and can also book you in at Barbara Castle Way during outside the normal working hours.

If you are unable to attend, please ensure you cancel your appointment so that we may able to offer the appointment to other patients.

Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is a condition where the force of the blood against the walls of your arteries is consistently too high. It can lead to serious health issues, such as heart disease, strokes, and kidney problems.

Hypertension often develops over many years and may not present noticeable symptoms, which is why regular monitoring is important.

Factors contributing to hypertension include genetics, poor diet, lack of physical activity, and stress.

Improve your inhaler technique here!

Improve your inhaler technique here!

Diabetes Support – your path to wellness!

Diabetes Support - your path to wellness!

Health Check-ups

Newly registered patients, patients aged 40 or over and patients who have not had a health check up in the past three years have the right to request a health check consultation with our Healthcare Assistant at the Practice.

We would either give you a call or send out invites for you to book an appointment, alternatively, please call reception to arrange an appointment.

Vaccinations

We provide a variety of vaccinations:

Childhood Vaccinations

At Shifa Surgery Ltd, we provide childhood immunisations each week. Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health. They prevent millions of deaths worldwide every year. 

Since vaccines were introduced in the UK, diseases like smallpox, polio and tetanus that used to kill or disable millions of people are either gone or are now very rarely seen. 

Measles and Mumps are starting to appear again in England, even though the MMR vaccine is the best protection against both diseases. This is serious as measles can lead to life-threatening complications like meningitis, and mumps can cause hearing loss.

We also offer 8 week baby checks with the Doctor and also offer post-natal check ups for all new mothers.

This schedule provides vital protection during childhood.

Immunisation from birth

Immunisation at 8 Weeks

Immunisation at 12 Weeks

Immunisation at 16 Weeks

Immunisation at 1 Year

Immunisation at 3 Years & 4 Months

Immunisation at 12 to 13 Years

Immunisation at 14 Years

Why Childhood Immunisations Are Important

Vaccinating children is crucial for their health and the wider community.

Immunisations:

  • Protect Your Child: Vaccines protect against serious, potentially life-threatening diseases like measles, meningitis, and polio, helping children build immunity without suffering from the illness.
  • Community Protection: When most children are vaccinated, it reduces the spread of diseases, safeguarding those who can’t be vaccinated, like newborns or individuals with certain medical conditions (herd immunity).
  • Prevent Outbreaks: Immunisation prevents the resurgence of diseases that were once common but are now rare due to vaccines.
  • Safe and Effective: Vaccines are thoroughly tested to ensure they are safe for children, with strict regulations in place.
  • Lifelong Health Benefits: Childhood immunisations not only protect children in the early years but also reduce the risk of complications and chronic conditions later in life. By following the UK Childhood Immunisation Schedule, parents can help keep their children, families, and communities safe from preventable diseases.

Flu Vaccinations

Shifa Surgery Ltd annually provide Flu Vaccinations to all those patients that are eligible. 

We would send out text messages or letters closer to time informing you of the next clinic dates and times. 

Book your Flu Jabs when called upon.

Other Vaccinations

Click on the link for a checklist of all the vaccines that are routinely offered to everyone in the UK free of charge on the NHS and the ages at which they should ideally be given.

Try to have your vaccinations delivered on time to ensure protection. If you’re not going to be able to get to the GP surgery when a vaccination is due, let us know, as it may be possible to arrange to have the vaccination at a different location.

Get in touch with us to book your vaccine. 

Stay Protected – Stay Safe

Measles

The number of people catching measles is on the rise. This is because not enough people have been vaccinated against the disease. Measles is easy to catch and easy to spread especially in nurseries and schools. 

Some people get very sick from measles and can develop pneumonia and meningitis. One in five people with measles will go to hospital and in very rare cases people can die from the disease.

Measles is not just a childhood disease and can be serious at any age. It can make adults very ill and may cause problems for those who are pregnant and people who have weakened immune systems (who can’t fight infection well).

Measles Symptoms:

  • a high temperature
  • a runny or blocked nose
  • sneezing
  • a cough
  • a fever
  • small red spots with bluish – white centres inside the mouth
  • a rash that appears a few days after the cold-like symptoms, usually on the face and neck

People with measles should stay off nursery, school or work until four days after the rash first appears. If you think you or your child may have measles, stay at home and phone your GP or NHS 111 for advice. It’s very important that you stay away from GP practices, A&E departments and other health care venues so you don’t pass measles on to others.

To get the best protection you need to have two doses of MMR vaccine. Those who haven’t had both doses will be more at risk.

  • Remember it’s never too late to catch up on missed doses. If you don’t know how many doses your child has had, it’s better to have two doses of MMR vaccine now rather than risk leaving them unprotected.

Further information on Measles and the outbreak

Screening

We provide various beneficial screening services:

Breast Screening (Mammogram)

It’s important to remember that screening is for healthy people with no symptoms. If you notice any unusual changes to your body that don’t go away, talk to your doctor. In most cases it won’t be cancer, but it’s best to get it checked out.

For further information please click on the link Breast screening (mammogram) – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Bowel Screening

If you are between the ages of 60 to 74 you will have been sent a Bowel Cancer screening kit every two years, many people who took up the test are thankful, it saved their lives. 

Shifa Surgery do not want to see any of our patients miss out on this life saving opportunity. If you have not taken advantage its not to late as we can arrange for a kit to be sent out. Please contact reception and we will arrange for the kit to be sent out.

Please click on the link for further information Bowel cancer screening – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Cervical Screening

Shifa Surgery provide Cervical Screening in house with a female clinician with clinics running from Monday-Friday, alternatively, we can also book you an appointment at a different location on weekends if this is a more suitable option. 

During cervical screening a small sample of cells are taken from your cervix for testing. Before this procedure takes place, the clinician will explain what will happen during the test and answer any questions you may have. Your results will then be sent to you via a letter. Your cervical screening results letter will explain if human papillomavirus (HPV) was found in your sample, what your result means, and what happens next. Most people will not have HPV (a HPV negative result).

Speak to the GP surgery if you have questions about cervical screening invitations, results or any symptoms you have. Please get in touch to book an appointment or click on the Cervical screening – NHS (www.nhs.uk) for further information.

Shifa Surgery Ltd provide Cervical Screening in-house with a Female Clinician, alternatively, we can also book you an appointment at a different location on weekends. Please get in touch to book an appointment or click on the Cervical screening – NHS (www.nhs.uk) for further information.

NHS Health Checks

The NHS Health Check is designed for adults aged 40 to 74 who do not have specific pre-existing health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure, and several others.

The purpose of the check is to assess the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and to provide advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

If you have any of the listed conditions, you should have regular check-ups with your healthcare team for ongoing monitoring and care.

Prostate Screening

Our practice is currently offering a screening test for prostate cancer.

You are at higher risk of prostate cancer if you:

  • are aged 50 or older
  • have a close relative, for example brother or father who has had prostate cancer
  • are of Black ethnic origin (double the risk)

The prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is a blood test that can help diagnose prostate problems, including prostate cancer.

This screening blood test can be done at our surgery. If you would like to book in or receive more information, please contact the surgery.