Who Will Treat You?

Who you see at the practice depends on what medical care you need. There are a range of professionals at the practice or affiliated to it, and many have a specialist area of knowledge.

The surgery provides a comprehensive range of primary care services. We offer a personal approach to family medicine and patients are encouraged to see a preferred doctor. Surgery consultations are by appointment only, but with a flexible system that allows for same-day access to a doctor or a nurse for genuinely urgent matters.

To make an appointment please see our Appointments page by clicking on the button above. The telephone numbers for appointments are: 01284 770440 for Swan Surgery and 01842 810206 for Forest Surgery. You can also submit a request for an appointment through Anima.

To see details about specific aspects of our services, please navigate to the Our Team page where you will find information on the specialist job roles.

ASTHMA

A number of our practice nurses have undergone further training in providing asthma care. We encourage all patients with asthma to attend for regular review, at least on a yearly basis. Anyone experiencing frequent mild symptoms from their asthma should make an appointment for an asthma review with a nurse for assessment and help with medication.

BLOOD PRESSURE

If you’re concerned about your blood pressure and you have been able to take your own readings please follow the link where there is a handy blood pressure checker tool as well as information on how to lower your blood pressure High blood pressure (hypertension) – NHS (www.nhs.uk) (opens a new tab)

BLOOD TESTS

Blood tests for our Forest Surgery patients can be booked at the Mildenhall Hub, Newmarket or West Suffolk Hospital. There is a minority of patients we still provide blood services for at the surgery, this includes; patients receiving chemotherapy and patients with sever mobility issues.

Blood tests for our Swan Surgery patients are carried out at West Suffolk Hospital.

BMI CALCULATOR

If you’re concerned about your weight please check out BMI calculator | Check your BMI – NHS | Please fill in your details (www.nhs.uk) (opens a new tab) you can find information on support for weight management further down this page.

CERVICAL SCREENING TESTS

Cervical cytology sampling tests (used to be called cervical smears) are carried out by all nurses and doctors in the practice. Women are usually requested to make an appointment with a practice nurse. Routine calls and recalls are sent to women every 3 years between the ages of 25 and 49 years and every 5 years from 50 to 64 years of age. The results are then sent to each individual by post.

COMMUNITY NURSES

We have an excellent team of community nurses who provide nursing care to those who are housebound and unable to attend the surgery through disability and illness. They can be contacted on 01284 718244 for Swan Surgery and 01842 814729 for Forest Surgery

CONTRACEPTION

Confidential advice on contraception is provided by some of the nurse and all the doctors. A full range of advice and methods are offered.

Dr Peter Neale provides a coil insertion service at Swan Surgery.

COPD

Assessment, advice and treatment is provided for those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. You are advised to see your preferred doctor for initial advice if you have a chronic cough or shortness of breath.

CORONARY HEART DISEASE

The practice provides advice, monitoring and treatment for those with heart disease. Regular CHD reviews are encouraged on, at least, a yearly basis for those with stable disease. This involves a visit to one of our practice nurses for physical checks, such as blood pressure and weight measurement, and the taking of a blood sample followed by a review by your preferred doctor when the results are available. You are advised to consult your doctor if you have symptoms suggestive of CHD, such as chest pain and breathlessness on exertion, for initial advice. In the event of someone experiencing severe chest pain, you are advised to telephone 999 and request an ambulance.

DIABETES

Regular monitoring and advice to those with Type 2 diabetes is provided with routine checks carried out, at least, every 6 months. These involve a visit to one of the practice nurses for physical checks (such as blood pressure, weight, condition of feet etc.) Before this appointment you will be requested to have and blood and urine tests. Insulin dependent patients are cared for by the West Suffolk Hospital diabetic clinic and specialist nurses, but must still attend the surgery for an annual check, this is because we complete additional checks on top of the diabetic review received at the hospital such as foot checks. The surgery are also responsible for most prescriptions for diabetes and therefore it is important we carry out our own checks.

Please see The West Suffolk Diabetes Service for more information about local services.

Click here for more information

DISPENSING

Swan Surgery provides a full dispensing service for patients living in rural areas and more than one mile from a retail pharmacy. Please go to our Prescriptions page for more details and how to obtain repeat prescriptions.

ENHANCED MINOR SURGERY

At the Swan Surgery we have a fully equipped Operating Theatre where we offer Enhanced Minor Surgery appointments for different types of lumps and bumps. We organise external experienced surgeons to come in, supported by our Theatre Nursing team to perform these procedures. Lesions can be no more than 10cm in diameter in order to be operated on in primary care and patients must be over 16 years old. We carry out procedures using local anaesthetic before removal. In order to be referred to us for Enhanced Minor Surgery please speak to your GP and if all criteria is met they will be able to refer you to us. We accept referrals from practices in North East Essex and Suffolk.

FIT TESTING

You may be asked by a clinical member of staff to complete a FIT test. FIT stands for (Quantitive) Faecal Immunochemical Test. FIT detects hidden or ‘occult’ blood in stool samples, using antibodies that specifically recognise human haemoglobin. FIT is used in many screening programmes worldwide because it can detect more cancers, particularly advanced adenomas (premalignant adenomas). There are fewer false positives and it is a sensitive enough test to assess patients who are at low risk of developing colorectal cancer. Below the video there is instructional leaflets available in several languages.

Se avete bisogno del volantino in un’altra lingua non esitate a contattarci —- ਜੇ ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਕਿਤਾਬਚੇ ਦੀ ਕਿਸੇ ਹੋਰ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੋੜ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਰਕੇ ਸਾਡੇ ਨਾਲ ਸੰਪਰਕ ਕਰੋ —- 如果您需要其他语言的传单，请联系我们 —- यदि आपको किसी अन्य भाषा में पत्रक की आवश्यकता है तो कृपया हमसे संपर्क करें —- Dacă aveți nevoie de prospect într-o altă limbă, vă rugăm să ne contactați

GENERAL MEDICAL

For minor medical issues you can see a nurse practitioner as an alternative to the doctor. The surgery’s nurse practitioners can diagnose, treat, and prescribe medication for some illnesses. If you are not sure if a nurse practitioner could see you about your illness, ask the receptionist, who will be able to advise you.
The doctors in the surgery offer full NHS general medical services which cover all aspects of modern primary care and traditional family practice. Should referral to a specialist be necessary, your doctor can arrange this, either at our local West Suffolk Hospital or a selection of other hospitals in the region, under the Choose and Book scheme. We are also able to refer to you to a private specialist should you request it. However, we do not generally provide private medical services, except to visitors from some countries.

GENERAL NURSING

The nurses in the surgery provide full primary care nursing services in addition to the other services and clinics mentioned on this page. These services include dressings, suture removal, leg ulcer care, minor injuries etc.

HEALTH PROMOTION

Our practice nurses offer assessment and advice on aspects of health and healthy living. Newly registered patients are encouraged to make use of this service where checks on blood pressure, weight etc. are offered.

HEALTH VISITORS

Health visitors for patients registered with Swan Surgery can be contacted by telephoning 0345 607 8866 or by emailing childrenshealth@suffolk.gov.uk
For Forest Surgery they are based in the Health Centre on Bury Road next door to the surgery. Their telephone number is 01842 815416.

HOME VISITS

Home visits may be appropriate for those who are genuinely housebound or whose medical condition would be made worse by travelling to the surgery. The vast majority of ill patients can quite safely visit the surgery, including children and adults with fevers. Visits are made at the doctor’s discretion, only, and whenever possible, patients should attend the surgery. We are unable to provide visits for reasons of convenience or lack of transport. If you wish to request a home visit telephone reception. The receptionist will request details of the reasons for the visit. Except in an emergency, please ensure your request for a visit is received before 10.30 am.

IMMUNISATION

CHILDREN

Routine children’s immunisations are provided in regular Tuesday and Thursday morning and afternoon slots at both surgeries. You will receive notification of the routine immunisations your child requires with advice on making an appointment for the clinic. For advice on the immunisations recommended and further information go to: NHS Immunisation Information

ADULTS

Immunisation against influenza and pneumonia is offered for all patients over 65 years of age or with the following conditions: asthma, COPD, diabetes that needs medication, serious heart disease, severe kidney disease, long term liver disease plus those who are immunosuppressed, have had their spleen removed or it doesn’t work properly. Carers of patients who would need to be admitted to hospital in the event that the carer became ill with influenza are, also, offered immunisation again influenza.
Tetanus immunisation, now combined with low dose diphtheria, is offered to all who have not been fully immunised or who have sustained a tetanus-prone wound.

LEG ULCERS

All our practice nurses (and community nurses for the housebound) have considerable experience in the management of chronic leg ulceration and the practice is able to continue to offer this service.

MIDWIVES

Midwifery services are provided by the Lark Team of midwives for Swan Surgery who can be contacted on 01284 713755. Forest Heath team provide the services for Forest Surgery patients and can be contacted on 01638 558547 (Forest Heath) or 01842 767619 (Castle Hill).
You can self refer to the community midwives at West Suffolk Hospital using the pregnancy referral form linked below

Self refer – Pregnancy Referral Form

SNEE ICB have just launched their new maternity and neonatal support service, here you will find information and advice on preparing to have a baby, with topics relating to pregnancy, birth and beyond. Click on the image below to access the new service.

MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS

We are happy to carry out medical examinations for the purposes of obtaining, or renewing, HGV/PSV driving licences, hackney carriage driving licences, NPPLs as well as examinations and reports for insurance purposes. Please see a list of our private charges for these services by going to the Private Charges page.

MINOR INJURY

We provide a service for the assessment and treatment of minor injuries that do not require X-rays to be taken or the full services of the hospital Accident and Emergency department. Please make an appointment by telephoning 01284 770440 for Swan Surgery and 01842 810206 for Forest Surgery.

MINOR SURGERY

At Swan Surgery the doctors can offer a minor surgery service for the removal of small skin lumps under local anaesthetic. Cryotherapy (freezing with liquid nitrogen) for warts and other skin lesions is available as well as joint injections for a variety of conditions. It is necessary to consult with your doctor first, for assessment. The necessary treatment can then be arranged.

NHS HEALTHCHECKS

The NHS Health Check is a health check-up for adults in England aged 40-74. It’s designed to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia. As we get older, we have a higher risk of developing one of these conditions. An NHS Health Check helps find ways to lower this risk.

If you’re in the 40-74 age group without a pre-existing condition, you can expect to receive a letter from your GP or local authority inviting you for a free NHS Health Check every five years. Please contact reception to make an appointment.

SMOKING CESSATION

You can self-refer to Feel Good Suffolk without needing to see a GP to get smoking cessation support.

SOCIAL PRESCRIBING

Interested in our new Social Prescriber role and how they might be able to help you? You can find more information about this role in the Our Team page where there is an informative video.

PALLIATIVE CARE

Wherever possible we try to care for patients close to the end of their lives at home. We follow the principles incorporated in the Gold Standard Framework in palliative care. The community nursing team have much experience and additional training in looking after terminally ill patients in their own homes. In addition, we work with community Macmillan Nurses and St. Nicholas’ Hospice.

TRAVEL ADVICE

We no longer offer comprehensive immunisation for travellers. Please seek advice from your local pharmacy.

Swan Surgery is no longer a designated Yellow Fever Centre and is therefore unable to provide this immunisation for patients at either surgery.
Make sure you give yourself at least 6-8 weeks before your intended date of travel. Last minute immunisation may not provide adequate protection. For more information on healthy travel visit: Fit For Travel

We may be able to offer some vaccinations please complete the form below, you can submit this via Anima or via email. Please make sure this form is submitted at least 6 weeks prior to your travel date.

VASECTOMY

At the Swan Surgery we have a fully equipped Operating Theatre where we offer a Vasectomy service. A Vasectomy is a method of male sterilisation and should be considered as a permanent form of contraception. We organise external experienced surgeons to come in, supported by our Theatre Nursing team, to perform these procedures which are carried out using the scalpel method. We accept Vasectomy referrals from all Suffolk GP Practices. In order to be referred to us for a Vasectomy please consult your GP and if you meet all the criteria they will be able to refer you to us.
Please see the NHS website for more information about Vasectomies and the procedure. Vasectomy (male sterilisation) – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

If you’re struggling with your weight you can self-refer for FREE adult weight management through Feel Good Suffolk. There’s no need to see your GP for a referral you can do this yourself through their website or by calling 0345 603 4060