If you have been diagnosed with asthma, you will be regularly sent a letter inviting you for an asthma review. Please make an appointment with one of our Practice Nurses.  Our Practice Nurse also provides an asthma review service for our patients age 20 years and over. Please telephone the practice and state you wish an appointment for an asthma review so that our reception staff can allocate an appropriate time slot.

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes and attend the practice for your care, you will be sent an invitation to attend for a review appointment on a regular basis with our Practice Nurses.  Please telephone the practice and state you wish an appointment for a diabetic review so that our reception staff can allocate an appropriate time slot.

DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) are a group of medicines that are used to ease the symptoms of certain autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). They work by by blocking certain chemicals involved in the inflammation process and therefore reduce the damaging effect of the disease on the joints. DMARDs are also used to treat other conditions – for example, chronic inflammatory skin or bowel disease. However, this page only relates to DMARDs when they are used to treat RA.

What are the side effects of DMARDs?

It is not possible to list all the adverse effects of each DMARD, but, as with all medicines, there are a number of side-effects that have been reported, and some of which are serious. Serious side-effects are rare, but include damage to the liver and blood-producing cells. Therefore, on recommendations with the Lothian hospital specialists, your GP will make sure you are monitored correctly before safely issuing a prescription. We also ask that each patient follows the guidelines, which allow safe prescribing by your GP.

In Scotland, all men and women aged 50–74 are invited for bowel screening. Bowel screening involves taking a simple test at home every two years. Bowel screening has recently been the subject of an advertising campaign across Scotland as part of the Detect Cancer Early programme. Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in Scotland. Every year in Scotland, almost 4,000 people are diagnosed with the disease. Although bowel cancer is common, it is also highly treatable if detected early. If we find bowel cancer early enough, there’s more than a 90% chance of successful treatment. The sooner it’s caught, the easier it is to treat.

If you require a screening kit, contact the Scottish Bowel Screening Helpline on 08000 121 833, or you can also get information from their website.

In Scotland, all women between the ages of 25 and 64 are offered a cervical screening test. Women aged 25-49 are invited every three years, and women aged 50-64 are invited every five years. Testing every three to five years gives very good protection against developing cervical cancer and minimises the number of tests a woman has during her lifetime. Click here for more information. 

Please make an appointment with one of our nursing team. It would be most helpful that you advise the receptionist that you are attending for a smear to allow the correct allocation of time for your smear to be taken.

For more information on the phases of your pregnancy, and the first 12 months with your new baby click here for the readysteadybaby link.

You can contact your named health visitor for advice and guidance on 0131 312 2168 for issues such as:

• Baby and child growth and development
• Childhood conditions, allergies and infections
• Breastfeeding, bottle-feeding and weaning
• Teething
• Post-natal depression, and parental mental and physical health
• Child behaviour issues, such as sleeping, eating, potty-training and tantrums
• Support with parenting, family health and relationships

Please note that we no longer offer coil insertions, and if you request this service, we advise you to contact Chalmers Sexual Health Centre (Tel: 0131 536 1070) and look at their website by clicking here.

If you need the coil removed please make an appointment with one of our GP's, if you require a chaperone, please inform the receptionist at the time of making the appointment.

For vasectomy, patients can self refer to Chalmers Sexual Health Centre and a clinic appointment can be arranged directly. This will involve a discussion about  your general health, past medical history as well as detailed information provided about the vasectomy, what to expect following the procedure, failure rates and risks. Chalmers Health Centre can be contacted on 0131 536 1070. Click here for more information on the location and opening times.

If you have had a positive pregnancy test and don't want to continue the pregnancy, there are different ways you can self refer to Chalmers Choices clinic to discuss a termination. A termination can be an emotional experiences, and Chalmers clinic also offer support. Please click here for more information.