In our Asthma/COPD Clinic you will be seen by one of our highly skilled Asthma/COPD nurses.

The Respiratory Nurse will be able to offer personalised care plans and education to all of asthmatic/COPD patients.

Our friendly team of nurses offer and administer all the relevant immunisations and vaccines for your child following the NHS childhood immunisation schedule (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/nhs-vaccinations-and-when-to-have-them/)

Our nursing team are also able to offer catch-up programmes for children who may have missed any vaccinations and also provide advice for parents with any concerns over the vaccines.

Babies aged 6-8 weeks will be invited for a thorough physical examination, known as the 6-8 week baby check which is performed by a GP.

We have GPs who have specialist interests in Dermatology who can provide skilled assessments and management of various skin conditions.

We have three diabetic nurses that work across our three sites along with a specialist GP in Diabetes

Patients are seen a minimum of every 6 months and offered an appointment for blood pressure, weight and urine checks along with comprehensive blood tests and regular medication reviews to optimise diabetic control.

Diabetic patients are eligible for chiropody care under the NHS.

We offer a range of services relating to Women’s Health, these include; contraception advice, fertility/family planning, cervical screening (smears) and menopause management.

The “morning after” (emergency) contraception can also be prescribed if appropriate. Although, it is best taken as early as possible and no later than 72 hours after unprotected sex.

We offer both short and long-acting contraception including; the Contraceptive Pill, Contraceptive Implant, Intra-uterine devices (IUD) – the coil, Intra-uterine Systems (e.g. Mirena) and the Contraceptive Injection.

We provide regular vaccines for Flu and Pneumonia to certain eligible groups of patients who are considered most at risk on the NHS

Who can have the flu vaccine?

The flu vaccine is given free on the NHS to adults who:

• are 50 and over

• have certain health conditions

• are pregnant

• are in long-stay residential care

• receive a carer’s allowance, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick

• live with someone who is more likely to get a severe infection due to a weakened immune system, such as someone living with HIV, someone who has had a transplant, or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis

Who should have the nasal spray flu vaccine

The nasal spray flu vaccine is free on the NHS for:

• children aged 2 or 3

• all primary school children (Reception to Year 6)

• some secondary school aged children

• children aged 2 to 17 years with long-term health conditions

If your child is aged between 6 months and 2 years and has a long-term health condition that makes them at higher risk from flu, they’ll be offered a flu vaccine injection instead of the nasal spray.

Who should have the pneumococcal vaccine

Anyone can get a pneumococcal infection. But some people are at higher risk of serious illness, so it’s recommended they’re given the pneumococcal vaccination on the NHS.

These include:

• babies

• adults aged 65 or over

• children and adults with certain long-term health conditions, such as a serious heart or kidney condition

Babies are offered 2 doses of pneumococcal vaccine, at 12 weeks and at 1 year of age.

People aged 65 and over only need a single pneumococcal vaccination. This vaccine is not given annually like the flu jab.

If you have a long-term health condition you may only need a single, one-off pneumococcal vaccination, or a vaccination every 5 years, depending on your underlying health problem.

The district nurses will conduct home visits to vaccinate patients in nursing homes or those who are registered as housebound.

We run annual Learning Disability Health Checks with trained clinicians, for patients with a Learning Disability aged 14 and over – eligible patients will be contacted about this, although patients and carers can contact us at any time about any concerns they have.

We will take any reasonable adjustments into consideration, such as preferences about communication and appointments, and do our utmost to accommodate these where possible.

All patient facing staff have safeguarding training. If you have any safeguarding concerns please contact the practice.

Useful numbers for further information and advice are:

Birmingham Childrens Trust (CASS/MASH) 0121 303 1888

Adult and Communities Access Point (ACAP) – 0121 303 1234

We have a number of clinicians who are able to perform steroid joint injections for appropriate conditions such as osteoarthritis.

If you feel you require a steroid joint injection, please make an appointment with the GP to discuss.

We are pleased to offer a Smoking Cessation clinic which is aimed at patients who wish to stop smoking. This service is led by our Health Care Assistants (HCA).

Our HCA can offer advice and support for stopping smoking and will also be able to prescribe nicotine replacement medication.

We offer a Travel Clinic for our patients during surgery hours by appointment only.

We request all patients complete a Travel form located on our website a minimum of 8 weeks before the intended date of travel. Once completed an appointment with a nurse will be offered.

The nurse will provide general advice on foreign travel, appropriate vaccinations and certificates and malaria prevention.

Not all vaccinations for exotic destinations are available on the NHS, please check charges with Reception or Nurses.

We do not routinely offer pregnancy testing in surgery except in exceptional circumstances.

We cannot accept urine samples unless requested by a clinician

If you think you may have a bladder or urinary tract infection (UTI) please make an appointment.

If you have been requested to bring a sample in by a clinician, please ensure a form is completed, which is available at reception.

Our warfarin clinic is held on Friday mornings at Lordswood surgery by our warfarin nurse.

This service is available to all our patients currently on warfarin.

We use the quick and instant finger prick test, to monitor your blood INR level and can adjust your dose as necessary.

HRT and Menopause

Lordswood House Medical Group is committed to providing the best possible treatment to our patients who may be experiencing symptoms of peri – menopause and menopause. 

We have been providing support to patients through the development of a pathway for those seeking help with their peri/menopause symptoms.  Most women of 45 years of age and over do not typically need blood tests to diagnose menopause.  We know that your natural Oestrogen levels are depleting and that symptoms will emerge.  Symptoms are varied and we assess women on an individual basis based on their clinical presentation.  

Ongoing discussions with patients are crucial to consider the best care moving forward, which balance the patient’s needs with safe, evidence-based practice.  We pride ourselves in delivering a holistic approach within the framework of an NHS Service.

We review patients at regular intervals once they have commenced hormone replacement therapy.  Lifestyle discussions around support to stop smoking, reducing and moderating alcohol use and diet and exercise are at the heart of the patient experience.  During the patient consultations we also review the uptake of NHS routine cervical screening and mammography screening.

Patients who contact us for help with any peri/menopause symptoms should be aware that this is quite an in-depth process to get the right treatment in place and it can sometimes take time for symptoms to settle.  There is a considerable amount of information for you to read about how we can help you. Please see our useful links and our frequently asked questions to help navigate you through this process.

Frequently asked Questions:

https://lordswood.digipractice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Menopause-and-HRT-F.A.QS-1.docx

Useful Links:

Florey (accurx.com)

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/

https://patient.info/womens-health/menopause

https://www.womens-health-concern.org/help-and-advice/factsheets/menopause/

https://www.womens-health-concern.org/help-and-advice/factsheets/complementaryalternative-therapies-menopausal-women/

https://www.womens-health-concern.org/help-and-advice/factsheets/hrt/

https://thebms.org.uk/publications/consensus-statements/bioidentical-hrt/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/ius-intrauterine-system/

https://www.womens-health-concern.org/

If you require wound care or suture removal please make an appointment to see either a nurse or HCA.

If a change of dressing on a regular basis is required please contact the reception team at your earliest convenience to arrange your appointments.