Many carers are not known by their GP practice as there is confusion around how to define the term ‘carer’.
A carer is a person of any age (including children) who provides unpaid support to a partner, relative, friend or neighbour who couldn’t get by without their help. This could be due to old age, frailty, disability, a serious health condition, mental ill health or substance misuse. Parents of children who are disabled or who have a serious health condition are also considered to be carers.
It is estimated that 10% of patients are carers.
Improving carer identification
As a practice, we want to increase the number of people on our carers’ register so that we can look after you better. We do this by:
Asking patients with long-term conditions to name their carers
Running awareness-raising campaigns to get carers to tell us about their caring responsibilities
What we offer to improve healthcare for carers
Flu vaccination – most carers are eligible for a free flu vaccination to protect themselves and the person they care for
Regular health check appointments to help you keep fit and well
More flexible appointments
Carer support groups
Referrals to carers’ services for more specialised information, advice and support
Dedicated services for carers
If you care for someone and would like additional support then the following services may help
Some services that we provide are not covered by the NHS
Private Medical Services
You may have to pay a fee for certain services that are not covered by the NHS. These fees reflect the time it takes for the doctor to look at your medical records and the admin time involved in collating this information.
Services include things like private health certificates, insurance claim forms, HGV/taxi medicals and some travel vaccinations.
Please contact us at the surgery for more information regarding these fees.
Private Medical Forms
There are also times when we are asked for information about a patient’s health, such as when you are applying for a mortgage or life insurance. We only do this with your permission and you have the right to see the report before it is sent. To avoid any delays, please make sure you sign the consent form that the company gives you.
Diabetes services
There are a number of services that can help you when it comes to looking after yourself if you have diabetes.
Routine care
The majority of people with diabetes are looked after by the practice diabetes team.
We like to see all people with diabetes at least once a year, once during their [annual health check link] .
You will receive an invite for both the annual health check- the appointments will be a nurse and you will need to have a blood test before each appointment.
There are times when you will need to be seen more often than twice a year, for example after you are first diagnosed or if problems are detected during one of the routine reviews. We arrange these additional reviews as needed and may be a nurse or one of the Doctors.
The practice team
The Diabetes nurse is Joanne Kendall
The diabetes lead for the practice is Dr Adcock
Specialist care
If there is a particular problem identified with your diabetes care that we cannot help you within the practice, then we will refer you to a specialist service.
For the majority of specialist problems we use Leeds Community Healthcare diabetes service, though for some people we also refer to Wharfedale General Hospital or St. James’s.
Self help and support groups
There are 8,760 hours in a year and over a year you will only spend 2 to 3 hours receiving support and advice about your diabetes from professionals. The vast majority of care comes from ‘self care’.
We suggest that all people who develop diabetes should attend the self-management education programme, which is 6 hours of extra education offered to those with a new diagnosis of diabetes (your nurse will mention it).
There is also a local PEP Diabetes support group as we recognise people live with diabetes for years and so need on-going support and advice.
Child Health
Health visitors
Health Visitors are healthcare professionals who have extra training and qualifications in child health. They are a source of information about child development and health, parenting strategies, breastfeeding, nutrition and community support. They also offer help with social, emotional and environmental issues that affect families.
Appointments are sent out automatically for routine child health checks.
The first will be with a GP at the surgery when your baby is 8 weeks old. You will be sent information about this and asked to make an appointment at the practice.
You will also be offered routine health reviews for your child with your health visitor, at 6-8 weeks, 8-12 months and 2-2½ years old.
Child Immunisations
Immunisations are given by our practice nurses in accordance with the NHS vaccine schedule.
Further information on the schedule and vaccines in general can be found in the link below:
When you quit smoking, good things start to happen. You’ll begin to see almost immediate improvements to your health.
It’s never too late to quit and it’s easier to stop smoking with the right support. Why not start by downloading the free NHS Quit Smoking app to track your progress and get daily motivation?
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Leeds Stop Smoking Service
You can find out more about the Leeds Smoking Cessation Service, including how to self-refer for their support, by following this link
– You can speak to reception to book an appointment with the Leeds Healthy Minds service. These are 30 minute long phone appointments which take place on a Wednesday and a Thursday evening.
– We have a Men’s Mental Health Support Worker who focuses on community outreach and supporting our isolated patients to engage in activities and groups that can improve their well-being and mental health.
– We have a team of Social Prescribers who can signpost you to various services where you can access further mental health and social support.
Please contact us if you would like more information on any of the above options.
Services for adults
If you are aged 17 or older then a good place to start is the Mindwell website. It is designed to help you understand the common problems that people face and the range of services here to help. It also offers help to those who are worried about others.
You might have heard your GP or friend talk about IAPT. This is a range of services that we commonly refer our patients to when they have problems with mental health. Here is a list of what IAPT offer, you can also refer yourself to this service from their website.
Services for children
If you are aged 16 or under, then a good place to start is the MindMate website.
MindMate is specifically aimed at young people and can help you understand the way you are feeling and find the right advice and support. It also offers advice for parents.
Feeling suicidal
If you feel unable to keep yourself safe please call NHS 111 and select Option 2 for Crisis Mental Health Support.
You can find more information on how to access mental health support in a crisis Here
It aims to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and dementia because as we get older our risk of developing one of these conditions increases.
If you would like to book an NHS health check please contact reception to make an appointment.
The health check only takes about 30 minutes.
The nurse/health professional will ask you some simple questions about your lifestyle and family history, measure your height and weight, take your blood pressure and do a blood test. From this, they can give you an idea of your risks of developing a chronic disease. If you are over 65, you will also be told the signs and symptoms of dementia to look out for.
You will then receive personalised advice to help lower your risk. This could include:
How to improve your diet and the amount of physical activity you do
How to lose weight or stop smoking
If a particular problem is found, such has high blood pressure, then we will make an appointment for you to see a doctor.
We understand that it can be difficult to attend appointments during working hours and therefore we also offer these health check appointments at our out of hours hub on a Saturday at Priory View Medical Centre.
Sexual Health Service
The practice offers a full range of contraception services including coil fitting and referral for vasectomy.
Choice of contraception
Deciding which is the best method can be difficult so please take time to read through these excellent guides.
A suggestion is to start with the general guide and then read the detailed guide for the method that interests you.
All Dr’s can prescribe pills, rings, patches and injections.
The following Dr’s are trained to fit the intrauterine device and system (coil).
Dr Cawthra
Dr Philippa Crabtree
Dr Wareing
The following clinician is trained to fit the implant
Nurse Practitioner Tracey Fairhurst
You will require an appointment to discuss the contraceptive implant before fitting.
Sexually transmitted disease
Our Dr’s also offer testing and treatment for a range of sexually transmitted diseases.
If you would prefer to attend a completely anonymous service, then you can self refer to Leeds Sexual Health service Please contact Armley Moor Health Centre directly on 0113 8434495.
Pill check
Contact the surgery to make a routine appointment with the Practice Nurse for a blood pressure check and review. If your review has been over 12 months you will need to make an appointment with the GP.