The clinics and other services offered by our practice

Avon Valley Practice
Fairfield
Upavon
Pewsey
SN9 6DZ
Tel: 01980 630221

News:

Late Surgery Sessions

This surgery offers late evening additional sessions for pre-booked routine appointments only. To book these appointments, you must telephone the surgery between 8am & 6.30pm Monday to Friday.

These sessions are held at the following times:

Mondays at DURRINGTON surgery from 6:30pm - 9pm

Home visits, telephone queries and urgent health problems will continue to be dealt with by the Out of Hours Service whose telephone number is 0300 111 5717

Important

For *Emergencies you should attend the Accident & Emergency Department of your local hospital or dial 999

*An emergency is a critical or life-threatening situation, and includes things like: chest pain or suspected heart attack, head injury, severe loss of blood, severe breathing difficulties, loss of consciousness, deep wounds, suspected broken bones

Announcements

01 Sep - 01 Oct
NHS Smokefree

Find out about all of the free NHS services available to support you as you go try to give up smoking.

01 Aug - 01 Oct
NHS Summer Health

Stay safe in the sun, including sunscreens, sunburn relief, heat exhaustion, eczema and moles. Summer holidays are great fun for children, but can bring risks. Find out more

01 Jul - 01 Oct
Change for Life

Would you like loads of tips and help to make changes for a healthier future? As part of Change4Life, you will receive tons of helpful information, recipes, tools, tips, and games for the kids.

Yahoo Health

Cholera kills 41 in Central African nation of Chad (AP)

AP - Health officials in Chad say an outbreak of cholera in the Central African nation has killed at least 41 people.

Can home cooking be hazardous to your health? (AP)

AP - Could your kitchen at home pass a restaurant inspection?

Botox maker to pay $600M to resolve investigation (AP)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg speaks to reporters during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Wednesday, Sep. 1, 2010, regarding a major settlement with a pharmaceutical company for False Claims Act and off-label marketing violations. Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a years long federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

AP - Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a yearslong federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug.

New test seen as big advance in diagnosing TB (AP)

This undated photo released by Cepheid, shows a Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF cartridge. The cartridge is part of a test that is a major advance in diagnosing tuberculosis and can reveal in less than two hours, with very high accuracy, whether someone has the disease and if it's resistant to the main drug for treating it. (AP Photo/Cepheid) NO SALES

AP - Scientists are reporting a major advance in diagnosing tuberculosis: A new test can reveal in less than two hours, with very high accuracy, whether someone has the disease and if it's resistant to the main drug for treating it.

Journal editors question sale of diet pill Meridia (AP)

AP - Editors of a top medical journal call Meridia "another flawed diet pill" and question whether it should stay on the market as a study shows it raises the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with heart problems.

Benefits seen for high-risk women in ovary removal (AP)

AP - Surgery to remove healthy ovaries gives a triple benefit to high-risk women: It lowers their threat of breast and ovarian cancer, and boosts their chances of living longer, new research suggests.

Study: Diet Drug Meridia May Boost Heart Risks (Time.com)

Time.com - A new study finds that some users of the weight-loss pill Meridia may have an increased risk of heart attack or stroke

For Bonobo Males, Mom Is the Best Wingman (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - To most human males, the thought of your mother anywhere near your sex life is probably horrifying. Not so for the bonobo, one of our closest primate relatives. A new study confirms that hanging out with mom boosts male bonobos' chances of getting intimate with a fertile female.

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 3, 2010 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

Parents Can Take Steps to Boost Kids' Health, Well-Being (HealthDay)

HealthDay - SATURDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- As children head back to school, parents can help make sure their little ones stay healthy and happy all year, an expert suggests.

MedPage Today

Washington Week: Insurance, State Actions Top News

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Several studies highlighting insurance issues were released this week, including one on federal programs for kids and two others focused on employer-provided medical coverage.

FDA Approves New Eye Pressure Drop Formulation

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The FDA approved a new formulation of the drug bimatoprost (Lumigan) in a 0.01% solution as a first-line treatment to reduce elevated intraocular pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Kids on HAART Would Benefit from Revaccinations (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Children with HIV who received standard childhood immunizations before starting on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) could benefit from revaccination, a review suggests.

New Guidelines Out for Pneumococcal Vaccine (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Adults with asthma and those who smoke should receive the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine to prevent pneumococcal disease, according to new recommendations from the CDC.

OSHA Should Dictate Residents' Hours, Group Says

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The consumer group Public Citizen is urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to regulate the work hours of resident physicians.

Four Factors Increase Risk of Opioid Dependence (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- A combination of four factors appears to significantly increase the risk of opioid dependence among patients taking prescription painkillers, researchers have found.

Low IgG Poses Infection Risk With Rituximab (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Certain subgroups of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly those who have low levels of IgG, are at risk for severe infections when treated with rituximab, French investigators found.

ESC: Stockholm Take Home Message -- Watch the 'Not' Warfarins

STOCKHOLM (MedPage Today) -- An investigational antiplatelet -- ticagrelor (Brilinta) -- emerged as a big winner from the five-day long European Society of Cardiology congress, but the buzz here focused instead on a trio of investigational oral anticoagulants -- dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban.

Admitting Clinical Errors Not Always Best Policy

(MedPage Today) -- Wide-scale disclosure of clinical errors seems intuitively to be the ethical choice for hospitals and physicians, but researchers from the University of Washington suggest that disclosure should be decided on a case-by-case basis rather than a one-size-fits-all solution

PTSD May Be Risk Factor for Dementia (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Older veterans with a history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at increased risk for developing dementia, even if they had not been wounded in battle, researchers found.

WHO Swine Flu

Influenza - update 115

Worldwide, H1N1 2009 virus transmission remains most intense in parts of India and in parts of the temperate southern hemisphere, particularly New Zealand and more recently in Australia.

Influenza - update 114

The situation in New Zealand and India remains largely unchanged since the last update. Influenza H1N1 (2009) virus transmission remains locally intense in parts of India and New Zealand.

Influenza - update 113

Influenza H1N1 (2009) virus transmission remains locally intense in parts of India and New Zealand.

Director-General statement following the ninth meeting of the Emergency Committee

The Emergency Committee held its ninth meeting by teleconference on 10 August 2010.

WHO recommendations for the post-pandemic period

The world is now in the post-pandemic period. Based on knowledge about past pandemics, the H1N1 (2009) virus is expected to continue to circulate as a seasonal virus for some years to come. While the level of concern is now greatly diminished, vigilance on the part of national health authorities remains important. Such vigilance is especially critical in the immediate post-pandemic period, when the behaviour of the H1N1 (2009) virus as a seasonal virus cannot be reliably predicted.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 112

As of 1 August 2010, worldwide more than 214 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 18449 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 111

As of 25 July 2010, worldwide more than 214 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 18398 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 110

As of 18 July 2010, worldwide more than 214 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 18366 deaths.

Monitoring patterns and levels of worldwide activity

As part of regular monitoring of H1N1 pandemic influenza, the WHO is in close dialogue with public health experts in countries worldwide, specifically to determine whether H1N1 activity has returned to levels and patterns normally seen for seasonal flu.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 109

As of 12 July, worldwide more than 214 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 18337deaths.

Clinics & Services

Travel Advice

ACUPUNCTURE

Acupuncture is an ancient system of healing developed over thousands of years in China, Japan and other Far Eastern countries. It has evolved into a system of medicine which restores and maintains health by the insertion of fine needles into acupuncture points just below the skin. Many people use acupuncture as a preventative medicine; however the treatment can be effective for a whole range of conditions, from pain relief through to depression. Dr. Jenkins offers this service to our patients on the NHS and privately to patients registered elsewhere.

ANTENATAL & POSTNATAL

Upavon
Wednesday 0930-1030

Durrington
Thursday 0930-1200

The Community Midwives, who are contactable through each of the surgeries, run these clinics.

ASTHMA

Please ask for a double appointment if an asthma check is required.

CHILD DEVELOPMENT/IMMUNISATIONS

Upavon
Tuesday 1100-1200

Durrington
Monday 1400-1500

Salisbury District Hospital will inform you of these sessions, which we strongly recommend that you attend. The Practice Nurses and occasionally one of the doctors will run the clinics, and they will be able to answer any questions you may have.

MOTHER AND BABY CLINIC (HEALTH VISITOR)

Upavon Tuesday 2.20pm - 3.30pm

Wednesday 2.20pm 3.30pm Commencing 9th June 2010

MINOR SURGERY

This service is offered by appointment at Upavon with Dr. Jenkins on Monday and by Dr. Green on Thursdays at Durrington.

DIABETES

Diabetic patients are strongly recommended to attend these clinics for regular diabetic checks. We aim to provide a full or shared service and cooperate closely with our local Diabetic Specialist Team at Salisbury District Hospital.

HEALTH PROMOTION

We promote a positive approach and encourage lifestyle changes in relation to diet, obesity, smoking and alcohol problems. Clinics are arranged on an "as required" basis and are staffed accordingly. Please identify your needs to the reception staff.

TRAVEL ADVICE

Travel immunisations form part of our Travel Advice Clinic. Please book a double appointment at least eight weeks in advance of travel, with the practice nurse for your first consultation. During that time she will be able to advise and arrange any immunisations that may be required for your holiday and any documentation that is necessary. Please note that there may be some charges for these.

We are a registered yellow fever centre, although these immunisations are given at our Upavon surgery only. The practice nurse will also discuss with you the risks involved in some countries with sun, water, hygiene, HIV, insect bites etc. and which medication and first aid items you should consider taking with you.

SERVICES AVAILABLE UNDER THE NHS CONTRACT

CORE SERVICES

general management of medical conditions
health promotion advice
emergency care if appropriate
referral for other services, if appropriate
urgently required care for temporary residents

ADDITIONAL SERVICES

contraceptive services
vaccinations and immunisations
child health surveillance
maternity services
minor surgery services

ENHANCED SERVICES

anticoagulation monitoring
near patient testing
influenza and pneumonia vaccinations
counselling

For quick medical advice online or on the telephone contact NHS Direct