Clinics and Services

If you would like to book an appointment for any of these services, please visit our Consulting Room.

On a weekly basis our practice nurses run asthma, diabetes and cardiac clinics. They cover all aspects of preventative care and look at a patient’s lifestyle including blood pressure and cholesterol monitoring. If you have been asked by the practice to complete an asthma review, please complete our online Asthma Review Form.

Cervical smears

All appropriate women aged 25-64 are entered into our computerised cervical cytology call and recall system. Letters are sent out at regular intervals. If you are unsure about when you are due for your next smear, please call the practice and discuss this with a practice nurse.

Community alcohol liaison service (CALS)

  • A free and confidential service for adults over 18 years of age in Bedfordshire who are concerned about their drinking or who are experiencing problems with alcohol. Advice, support and information on how to stop or cut down.
  • Advice on “how much is too much alcohol?”
  • Signposting and liason with other services.
  • Ongoing appointments if required.
  • To make an appointment to see a CALS worker please call 07974 140235.

Contraception

We offer a range of methods of contraception: the pill, IUD, cap, injectable and emergency contraception. Our service is confidential for all patients, including young people. If you have been advised by the surgery to submit a contraceptive pill review, please complete our online Contraception Pill Review form.

Counselling

The practice has two counsellors who each hold weekly sessions. Referral to a counsellor is made after consultation with a doctor.

Dietician

Our hospital dietician holds a weekly session. She advises on all aspects of diet. Appointments are made following consultation with a doctor or practice nurse.

District nurses

The practice’s district nurses are based at the health centre. They provide care to patients at home who are housebound and unable to attend the practice. They meet with the Doctors on a daily basis and can be contacted on 01767 224161.

Health check-ups

We offer NHS Healthchecks to our patients aged between 40 and 74, well person checks including those for patients over the age of 75 and for those who have not had a consultation in the practice within the last three years.

The check will include lifestyle advice together with the above examinations.

Health visitors

The health visitors attached to the practice are based at the health centre. They are trained in public and family health with particular emphasis on child development.

They are in regular contact with our doctors. They can be contacted on 01767 224161.

Macmillan nurse

We have the services of a nurse/counsellor who supports our patients and their families who are coping with cancer.

Maternity/midwife

All the doctors provide antenatal and postnatal care in conjunction with the Consultant Obstetrician concerned.

We do not conduct deliveries in a GP Maternity Unit, and we do not book pregnancies for home delivery, although we share the same care with the hospital and midwives before and after delivery in the usual way.

The midwife holds a weekly session in the practice and also sees patients in their own home.

Do you think you are pregnant?

It is important for both you and your baby that you see a Midwife as soon as possible preferably before you are 10 weeks pregnant.

Your midwife will take a detailed history, discuss your options and provide support to promote your health and that of your baby.

If you have decided to have your baby at Lister Hospital or the Rosie, you will be seen by the midwife here at the surgery, if you have decided to have your baby in Bedford Hospital, then you will need to be seen by the Daisy Team who are based in Langford.

The midwife will also guide you to the screening tests available.

To self refer to the midwife, please complete our Midwife Referral Form, and return it to the practice. 

Emergency care practitioner/Minor illness nurse

The receptionist will ask you the nature of your problem when you call, and you may see either one of our emergency care practitioners or the minor illness nurse if it is appropriate.

This may include sore throats, ear infections, skin infections, coughs, chest infections, acute pain, urine infections and other minor ailments.

Minor injury service

If you have a small cut, bruise, minor dislocation, a blow to the head, a small burn or a foreign body that requires removal then please advise our reception team who will arrange for you to see a doctor or a practice nurse.

If it is a major injury then please go straight to the nearest accident and emergency department at the hospital.

Minor surgery

We perform minor surgical operations on the premises including injection of joints, nail surgery, biopsy of skin lumps/moles and cryotherapy of warts. Patients will be placed on a waiting list and contacted when an appointment is available.

Substance misuse

The shared care coordinator for adult drug treatment holds a fortnightly clinic in conjunction with one of the doctors to help patients with problems with the use of drugs.

Smoking cessation

The practice does not offer a smoking cessation service, however, you can self refer to Central Bedfordshire Stop Smoking Service by phone on 0800 0130 553 or visit The Centra Bedfordshire Website.

Treatment room

A doctor may ask you to attend an appointment with the nurse for a dressing, removal of stitches, blood pressure check, an injection or a blood test.

Childrens immunisation clinics

Following the birth of a baby, you will be invited to attend an appointment with a doctor who will carry out the six week check on the baby. The baby will be due their first injections at eight weeks.

Subsequent injections will be given at our weekly childrens clinic for all babies and children up to the age of five. This covers all aspects of preventative medicine and immunisation.

Immunisations

We recommend that everyone should be immunised against tetanus and polio.

Travel immunisations

We offer a range of advice and can offer necessary immunisation relating to travel to any foreign country, however the appointments for this service are very limited.

Please complete a Travel Risk Assessment in order that our nurse can assess what immunisations are required.

Once your form has been processed, if we are unable to offer you an appointment at the surgery, you may need to be seen at one of the private services locally, ie Boots (Retail Park, Biggleswade), UK Travel Vaccination Service, Brand Street, Hitchin, or Ashwell Travel Clinic.

They will make a charge for their services.

The practice does not offer HEPA, or vaccinations for occupational purposes.

Minor eye conditions service (MECs)

There is a new service for patients experiencing a minor eye condition.

The service offers patients registered with a Bedfordshire GP access to appointments with optometry practices authorised to provide the service – reducing pressure for GP appointments and A&E attendances.

Conditions that can be seen under the service include:

  • Red eye or eyelids
  • Dry eye, or gritty and uncomfortable eyes
  • Irritation and inflammation of the eye
  • Significant recent sticky discharge from the eye or watery eye
  • Recently occurring flashes or floaters
  • In-growing eyelashes
  • Recent and sudden loss of vision
  • Foreign body in the eye

How does a patient make an appointment via the new service?

Patients need to make an appointment with one of the authorised optometry practices.

Patients will be asked some questions about their symptoms in order to assess how quickly they need to be seen by the service, which will be within 24 hours for urgent cases and within a few days for routine appointments.

Patients will need to take their glasses and any current medication with them to their appointment.

This is a free NHS service for patients registered with a GP in Bedfordshire, available from the following Biggleswade Opticians:

Adam Loveday
99 – 101 High Street
Biggleswade
SG18 0LA

Telephone: 01767 600545

Specsavers Biggleswade
20/21 Market Square
Biggleswade
SG18 8AS

Telephone: 01767 314247

Advanced care plan

ACP is a process in which you can think, talk and write about what is important to  you, and describe the kind of care you would want if you became unable to make decisions for yourself.

It broaches the subject of dying, and how you would like to be looked after at that time. It may seem difficult to think ahead in this way, but writing an advance care plan makes a clear record of your wishes so that these can be respected and, where possible, carried out by people caring for you in the future. Please visit our ACP leaflet for further information.

If you would like to complete and advanced care plan, please complete our downloadable form.