Please note that the Podiatry service is separate from the GP practice.

For further information please visit 

https://services.nhslothian.scot/Podiatry/Pages/default.aspx

A GP Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner (APP) now works within this GP practice. Her name is Polly Mackie.  If you have, or think you have, a musculoskeletal (MSK) problem she can provide an alternative to seeing your GP.

 They provide expert assessment of MSK conditions i.e. muscle, bone and joint problems such as back, neck, shoulder or knee pain. They can provide you with a clinical diagnosis, give you advice on how to manage the problem and suggest appropriate exercise for you to work on independently.

 With your agreement and when appropriate, they can refer you to specialist services such as physiotherapy for supported rehab, X-Ray or orthopaedics. If needed they can liaise with your GP to arrange medication or discuss any non- MSK symptoms which might have been found.

 You can request an appointment with the GP APP; you may also be directed to them by reception staff who have had training to help them guide you to GP APP. Your GP may also ask you to see the GP APP for an expert MSK opinion.

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Information about the Physiotherapy service based  within the building in Slateford Medical Centre which is not part of the GP practice can be found at http://www.ecps.scot.nhs.uk/mcleod_details.htm

Patients can now again self-refer to this physiotherapy department. Please read the following information first

• Self referral is  ROUTINE out-patients physiotherapy appointment only.
  • If the referral is considered urgent, then a referral must come from yourselves
  •  
• We can only accept referrals from patients from Edinburgh GP Practices
• People can refer themselves for ONE problem only
• As before, home visits can only be arranged with a GP referral to Physio @ Home
• Please note that only adults 16 years of age or over can self-refer

For continence problems and walking aid referrals, Please remind your patients to use a separate self-referral form which can be accessed at the same link listed below

Collars, wrist splints, knee braces, maternity belts etc cannot be routinely provided.

The form can be found at:

• https://services.nhslothian.scot/ecps/Pages/SelfReferral.aspx

It should  be printed out (see attached), and posted to us at the address below:

Physiotherapy Department

Slateford Medical Centre

27 Gorgie Park Close

Edinburgh

EH14 1NQ

Health board pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are becoming more involved in the care of patients in General Practice. Having the pharmacy team working in our surgery provides valuable medicines support, a close link with our community pharmacy teams and allows our GPs to focus their skills and time where they are most needed for patients who have more complex needs.

Who are our pharmacy team?

The pharmacy team are:

Name                          Job Role                                 Days worked

Katie Johnston            Pharmacist                              Monday

Fiona Robertson         Pharmacist                              Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday AM

Sean Robertson       Pharmacy Technician          Friday

What does the pharmacy team do?

• Provide expertise on day-to-day medicines
• Give advice for patients taking multiple medications
• Carry out medication reviews and other medicines-related support, including discussing side effects
• Give help for patients with their medicines following a stay in hospital, particularly if there has been a change in regimen
• Answer medications and prescription-related questions
• Produce prescriptions
• Support managing patients’ long-term conditions, such as high blood pressure 

When you may get an appointment with one of the pharmacy team

Our pharmacists can provide telephone and face-to-face appointments.  The pharmacists, pharmacy technicians or the doctors often review some or all of your medicines and may want to talk with you about the medicines you are currently taking. In the practice we like to review your medicine at least once a year, or more often if needed. 

You may have heard people referring to Polypharmacy. It means lots of medicines. A medicine review is particularly useful for people who take a lot of medicines; for these people their medicines review may be called a Polypharmacy Review. Further information is on the NHS Scotland’s website Polypharmacy: Manage medicines or the Managing Multiple Medicines app (available at: Polypharmacy: Manage Medicines) 

Information on how you and your doctor (or other healthcare professional) can work together to decide whether you need a medicine and, if so, which to prescribe, can be found in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland publication  Medicines in Scotland: What's the right treatment for me?. This booklet also explains the likely benefits and possible risks of medicines. 

You can go to your community pharmacy for advice and medicines for minor illnesses from the Pharmacy First service.  Minor illnesses include:

More information is available at NHS Pharmacy First Scotland. 

Information about getting the right treatment for common viral illnesses such as colds and coughs without encouraging antibiotic resistance can be found in the NHS publication Get Well Soon Without Antibiotics. 

Clinics & Services

Nursing Services

Chronic diseases are currently being dealt with differently due to COVID for conditions such as

• Asthma and COPD
• Diabetes
• Coronary Heart Disease

To keep you and our staff safe and to minimise the time that you would spend in the surgery your review will be dealt by our practice nurse by telephone as much as possible.

Other Services

• Cervical screening
• Wound dressings

Child Health

• Baby Immunisations are now provided by the Community Vaccination team.

Emergency Contraception Service

If you require emergency contraception please contact our receptionist as soon as possible as this treatment must be administered within 72 hours. Please ask for an emergency contraception appointment. This will enable the receptionist to provide you with the most effective appointment. This is also available through the out of hours service or your local Pharmacy.

Mental Health Nurse

We currently do not have provision for Mental Health nurse appointments.  We are hoping to have our new Practice Mental Health Nurse in post by the end of November.  We will update the website as soon as we have further details.  We apologise for any inconvenience to our patients.

Support Services

For help to stop smoking please contact NHS Lothian Quit Your Way service

https://www.nhsinform.scot/scotlands-service-directory/health-and-wellbeing-services?hb=s08000024&sortby=_distance&sortdir=Asc&svctype=26

We are no longer able to offer a travel vaccination clinic.  Please check with one of the local travel clinics listed below or one of the larger local pharmacies who may be able to offer advice. 

There is further information about countries and vaccinations required on the links below

Europe & Russia	North America
Central America	South America & Antarctica
Caribbean	Africa
Middle East	Central Asia
East Asia	Australasia and Pacific

Travel Clinics

This list is not exhaustive – please contact the clinics for prices

CityDoc Edinburgh                                                                   MASTA Travel Clinic

46-48 Clerk Street                                                     Davidsons Mains Medical Centre

Edinburgh, EH8 9JB                                                    5 Quality Street

Tel: 0845 5941 950                                                                     Edinburgh, EH4 5BP

www.citydoc.org.uk/citydoc-edinburgh                                    Tel: 0330 100 4169

                                                                                                    www.masta-travel-health.com

Edinburgh Travel Health Clinic                                                Superdrug Travel Clinic Edinburgh

14 East Preston Street                                                   83 Princes Street

Edinburgh, EH8 9QA                                                      Edinburgh, EH2 2ER

Tel: 0131 667 1030                                                                        Tel: 03331 223 523

www.edinburghtravelhealthclinic.co.uk                                        https://onlinedoctor.superdrug.com/travel/

TrExMed Travel Clinic Edinburgh                                         Your GP

The Edinburgh Clinic                                                                   Waterside House

40 Colinton Road                                                      19 Hawthornbank Lane

Edinburgh, EH10 5BT                                                                 Edinburgh, EH4 3BH

Tel: 0131 447 2340 Option 2                                                       Tel: 0131 225 5656

www.trexmed.co.uk/                                                                   www.your-gp.com/services/gp-services/

 Western General Hospital

Regional Infectious Disease Unit (RIDU),

Ward 41 OPD (nearest entrance, Telford Road)

Crewe Road

Edinburgh, EH4 2XU

www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/Services/A-Z/RIDU/TravelClinic

After your visit to a travel clinic, please provide us with a list of any vaccinations you have been given so that we can update your medical records.

Travelling in Europe

If you are travelling to Europe the EU has published useful information for travellers on the European website.

Non-NHS Services

Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Examples include the following:

• Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
• Insurance claim forms
• Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
• Private sick notes
• Vaccination certificates

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability. Please note that there will be a waiting time for these appointments.

Please note that the practice does not carry out requests for private bloods.  These must be carried out at a private clinic.