Richford Gate Medical Practice

Alcohol – Drinking Wisely

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:58:00 +0000

There seem to be constantly conflicting messages in the media about alcohol. One minute it is damaging the nation's health, the next it's protecting your heart. One day you need to stick to weekly alcohol limits, the next it's your daily allowance you have to think about.

In fact, these messages are all true, but not for everyone. For instance, if you're a man over the age of 40 or a woman over the age of about 50, a single small glass of wine a day may protect you against heart disease. But two glasses does no more good than one, and fairly quickly the damage from excess alcohol outweighs any possible benefit.

As for daily and weekly limits, it's less confusing than it might seem. To avoid any damage to your health, women should stick to a maximum of 2-3 units in a day and men to 3-4 units (learn out more about the number of units in different drinks). However, if you are drinking that much, you should give your body (and particularly your liver) a couple of days off a week to recover, which adds up to a weekly total of 14 units for women and 21 units for men. If you are pregnant, have diabetes, or have other medical conditions the recommended limits may be lower – your GP or nurse can advise you.

Not everyone comes to harm if they drink more than these recommended limits, but it's easy for your alcohol intake to creep up to even more dangerous levels. At Richford Gate we offer a full range of services including assessment of your health risks, general advice about safe levels of drinking and how to stick to them (from your GP or practice nurse) and a confidential alcohol counsellor service.

Use the online calculator to get a better idea of your drinking patterns and whether there is any cause for concern. Your GP or practice nurse will be delighted to offer information, support, advice and referral as appropriate.

Coughs and Colds in Children

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:49:00 +0000

All babies get colds — eight or more a year is normal, mostly concentrated in the winter months, which means it's quite common to feel your child is never free of a cough or cold.

Even more frustratingly, children with coughs and colds are almost always most unwell in the middle of the night. This is partly because when they lie down, the mucus trickles to the back of their throats and makes them cough.

So for most parents, coughs and colds are an occupational hazard of parenthood. The tips below will help you deal with most of the symptoms. They will also tell you when you need to get medical help urgently. If your baby doesn't have any of the warning signs below, you're better off avoiding the GPs' surgery. Instead, contact your pharmacist, who can offer invaluable advice and a wide selection of remedies (see below). Above all, don't let your baby's cold ruin your enjoyment of this precious, and very short-lived time.

Should My Child See a Doctor?

The signs and symptoms that your doctor will look for to decide if treatment is needed are your child:

has a high fever (above 39° C)
has difficulty breathing, is breathing very fast or grunting when they breathe
has a temperature, but the skin of their hands and feet feels cold and clammy
has a purply-red rash that doesn't fade when you press a glass tumbler against it
turns blue or very pale (in a dark-skinned baby check the palms of the hands) or seems floppy
is unusually drowsy or hard to wake

The NHS has a wide range of information on coughs.

NHSCoughs »

How to Help My Child

The following are helpful tips in dealing with a child's cold or cough:

colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria. That means antibiotics won't help, and they can have side effects
most colds get better on their own in 5 to 7 days
snuffles in babies can be treated with normal saline nose drops, cotton buds or a nasal sucker (ask your pharmacist)
try and ensure your baby gets as much fluid as possible. Don't forget that your baby will lose fluid through their skin when they have a fever
a pillow or blanket under the head end of your baby's mattress may help your snuffly baby to breathe more easily

Key points for coughs

Never smoke in the house
Coughing may sound distressing, but it does serve a purpose. As long as your child doesn't have the warning signs above, coughing serves to clear mucus away from your baby's throat and chest.
Cough mixtures rarely help, and should usually be avoided in children under 1 year old anyway
Coughing is very rarely worrying if your baby or child is feeding and breathing normally
You can treat coughs very effectively with steam. A flat bowl of warm water placed on the radiator overnight, or a kettle boiled in your baby's room (well out of baby's reach!) can be very useful. If your child is disturbed or distressed by coughing at night, give him a sauna. Fill the bath up with really steamy water (much to hot for either of you to touch) until the bathroom is steamed up. Sit in the bathroom with your child for up to half an hour.

How to Bring Down a Fever

Check the temperature of your baby's room. It should between 16° and 20° C. You should be comfortable wearing light clothing. Ideally, invest in a nursery thermometer.
Strip your child off to his nappy or pants and vest
Cover your child with a sheet if necessary, but not with blankets
Cool the room down by opening a window or using a fan. Don't worry about draughts – overheating your child is far more likely to do harm
Sponge your child down with tepid (not cold) water
Give paracetamol at the correct dose (ask your pharmacist)
If your child is over 1 year, they can usually have ibuprofen as well as paracetamol (ask your pharmacist)
Try and make sure your child takes plenty of fluids

Flu

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:51:00 +0000

What is Flu?

Influenza is a viral infection. However, it makes you feel much more ill than normal coughs and colds.

In fact, if you have a touch of anything, it's highly unlikely to be real influenza, which always makes you feel very unwell. Influenza causes the following symptoms:

high fever (usually between 39° and 40° C)
muscle aches and pains
headache
dry cough or 'chestiness'

Because flu is caused by a viral infection, antibiotics do not help at all. However, most people recover from influenza without any ill effects within 5-7 days. Some groups are more likely to get serious complications from flu than others. This may apply to you if you:

Are over 65
Live in a nursing home
Suffer from diabetes
Have heart or lung disease (including asthma)
Have kidney failure
Have problems with your immune system, which may reduce your ability to fight off the infection, this includes anyone on chemotherapy, who has had their spleen removed, who is HIV positive, etc.

If you are in any of these groups, you should talk to the surgery about getting a 'flu jab' every year, starting from early October. While flu cannot be cured, having a flu jab can reduce your risk of getting the illness by 70%. It does not protect you against other viral coughs and colds. Richford Gate runs 'walk in' flub jab clinics, where you can get a flu jab without making an appointment. Click here to read more about the Richford Gate Flu Clinic.

What are the Symptoms of Flu?

Symptoms of influenza include:

fever of 39° to 40° C
headache
muscle aches
aching eyes
chills and shivers
sore throat and / or aching in the sinuses and ears.
cough (usually dry and harsh)

The NHS has a wide range of information on the flu.

NHSFlu »

Should I See My Doctor?

You should see your doctor if any of the following signs and symptoms exist?

your child has flu like symptoms which persist for more than four days
you develop shortness of breath, sharp pain or coughing up of blood or blood-streaked mucus
you are in one of the high risk groups above and your symptoms persist for more than four days.

How Can I Help Myself?

You can avoid a pointless visit by following the advice on 'how to help yourself'.

Go to bed
Take regular painkillers such as paracetamol (gargled if you have a sore throat). These will relieve the headache, muscle aches and fever
Sip honey and lemon drinks to soothe your throat
Drink plenty of fluids, avoiding caffeine and alcohol
Get lots of rest
Ask a friend or relation to visit the Pharmacist to discuss remedies to relieve your symptoms
Use steam inhalations for your cough (add a teaspoon of Olbas oil, Vicks etc to a bowl of steamy water and sit over it with a towel over your head for a least fifteen minutes twice a day)
Take a couple of days off work even after you feel better, to make sure you are fully recovered
Don't worry about eating if you don't feel like it. Taking in enough fluids is far more important. Easy swallow foods such as soups and porridge may appeal.

Sore Throats

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:17:00 +0000

Everyone has had a sore throat at one time or anther. In the past, doctors used to give antibiotics for sore throats, because they thought they would cure them. In fact, almost all sore throats are caused by virus infections.

There is no cure for virus infections. However, your body will almost always fight off the infection within a few days. Many people who took antibiotics in the past for sore throats got better within a day or two. This was because their bodies had fought off the infection. However, because they started taking antibiotics at the same time as their body was fighting off the infection, they assumed it was the antibiotics which had made them better.

Should I see the Doctor?

We now know that taking antibiotics for viral sore throats does not help. It can actually make you more ill, as most antibiotics cause side effects (including diarrhoea, thrush, rashes etc). That's why doctors do not give antibiotics for sore throats any more, except in a few cases. The signs and symptoms that your doctor will look for to decide if antibiotics are needed are:

Absence of cough (that means a sore throat that is not accompanied by other signs of a cold, like cough and runny nose)
Fever over 38.5° C
Swollen glands in your neck
White discharge at the back of your throat, on your tonsils
Severe pain or problems with swallowing, especially on one side. If your symptoms include severe pain on one side of your throat and are having problems swallowing, you may have an abscess on your tonsil. You should contact the surgery as soon as possible.

If you do not have at least three of these signs, it does not make sense to go to the doctor.

Should my child see the Doctor?

In children, signs and symptoms to look out for include:

neck pain and high fever
not being able to swallow their own saliva
not being able to swallow fluids
breathing problems

If your child does not have at least three of these signs, it does not make sense to go to the doctor.

How can I help myself?

You can avoid a pointless visit by following the advice on 'how to help yourself'.

Gargle with soluble paracetamol tablets (two 500mg tablets dissolved in half a glass of water), then sip the liquid down slowly. Repeat this up to every four hours, with not more than four doses in 24 hours
If you prefer, you can gargle with three 300mg aspirin tablets dissolved in warm water.
Suck soothing throat lozenges, especially the kind that include a local anaesthetic. Your pharmacist can advise you about which ones might help.
For children, try and persuade them to gargle with the right dose of paracetamol solution for their age. Ibuprofen syrups can be used as an alternative. If they cannot gargle, swallowing the dose of painkilling medicine can also help.

How do I get a flu vaccine at Richford Gate?

Richford Gate has a limited supply of flu vaccine for patients aged over 65 and with chronic conditions (eg diabetes, heart disease). Click here to read more about the Richford Gate Flu Clinic.

Contraception Services

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:43:00 +0000

At Richford Gate Medical Practice we are keen to help every woman find the right contraception for her. Tailoring contraception to a woman's own needs can make a huge difference in terms of quality of life, and can help reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy.

All the doctors in the surgery are fully qualified to offer advice on the benefits and risks of every method of contraception. All doctors can prescribe both the combined oral contraceptive pill and the progesterone only pill, as well as the contraceptive patch, and to give guidance on the use of natural family planning methods and counseling and referral for male and female sterilisation.

All the doctors can offer prescriptions of contraceptive injections which are administered by the nurse in the surgery. Some of our doctors also offer fitting of Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Devices ('the coil') and the progesterone-releasing Intra-Uterine System (Mirena). While we do not offer fitting of the contraceptive implant (Implanon) in the surgery) all the doctors will be happy to offer guidance relating to its use and to refer patients to the closest family planning service which offers a fitting services.

We are pleased to offer a small supply of condoms free to patients. They are available on Level 2. Please fill out a free condoms form and bring it in and collect your supply. In addtion the NHS supplies affordable contraception.

NHSAffordable Contraception »

We are working with Central London Community Health Care NHS Trust to open a new Family Planning Centre here at Richford Gate in 2012.

Fit for Work Service

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:03:00 +0000

The Fit for Work Service is a free service for individuals who are off work sick, and who are struggling to go back to work and deal with their health issues. We can provide access to a range of health and other services tailored to help you return to work as quickly as possible.

To be eligible for the service, you must be employed, and either be living or working in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, or the City of Westminster.

For details of the Hammersmith and Fulham Fit for Work Service click here.

Flu Clinics

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:42:00 +0000

Richford Gate has a limited supply of flu vaccine for patients aged over 65 and with chronic conditions (eg diabetes, heart disease).

What is flu?

Flu is not a simple cold. It can make you feel very ill for several days, with a high temperature, aching limbs and weak muscles. You may also develop a dry cough, sore throat and a runny nose. Flu does not respond to antibiotics, is always very unpleasant and if you have other medical problems may make you seriously ill.

Can a flu vaccine protect me?

Yes. Vaccination can protect you from catching flu, even if you come into contact with it. You cannot catch flu from the vaccine. Every year the flu virus changes, so it is very important for people at risk to get a flu vaccine each year. The virus protects against flu, but not against other viral coughs and colds.

Who should be given a flu vaccine?

Since the consequences of flu can be severe, the Department of Health strongly recommends that everyone over the age of 65 and those with chronic conditions should be vaccinated.

NHSShould I have a flu vaccine? »

When should I have a flu vaccine?

We still have a limited supply of flu vaccine in stock NOW. Please ring 020 8846 6655 to make an appointment.

We look forward to seeing you.

Travel Immunisations & Advice

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 08:21:00 +0000

If you require any vaccinations or health advice relating to foreign travel please book a double appointment anytime prior to six weeks of your travel date. During the appointment a nurse will discuss the appriopriate vaccines for your destination and administer the most common. A second and possibly a third vaccine appointment may be necessary based upon your specific vaccine.

The following links contain further information about countries and vaccinations:

Smoking

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:57:00 +0000

We offer a free smoking cessation service every Tuesday between 9am – 12noon and 2.30pm – 4.30pm. This is available by appointment only.

If necessary, the smoking cessation advisor may issue a prescription. If you do not normally pay for your prescriptions, any medications prescribed will be free of charge. If you do pay for prescriptions, you will either pay the prescription charge or the sale price, depending on whichever is cheaper.

To book an appointment with the smoking cessation advisor please call 02088466655.

Smear Tests

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:56:00 +0000

All women between the ages of 25 and 64 are eligible for a free cervical screening test every three to five years. In the light of evidence published in 2003 the NHS Cervical Screening Programme now offers screening at different intervals depending on age. This means that women are provided with a more targeted and effective screening programme.

The current intervals are:

Age group (years)	Frequency of screening
25	First invitation
25 - 49	3 yearly
50 - 64	5 yearly
65+	Only screen those who have not been screened since age 50 or have had recent abnormal tests

The NHS call and recall system invites women who are registered with a GP. It also keeps track of any follow-up investigation, and, if all is well, recalls the woman for screening in three or five years time. It is therefore important that all women ensure their GP has their correct name and address details and inform them if these change.

Women who have not had a recent test may be offered one when they attend their GP or family planning clinic on another matter. Women should receive their first invitation for routine screening at 25.

Smears should be booked with the practice nurse with a double appointment. Ideally the test is carried out two weeks after the first day of your last period. Letters will be sent to remind patients when their smears are due. If you experience any spotting particularly after intercourse or finds intercourse has become painful please come in for a check up irrespecitive wether the cervical screening is due.

I'm not sexually active - do I still need cervical screening?

The evidence shows that if a woman has never been sexually active then her risk of developing cervical cancer is very low indeed. We don't say 'no risk' just 'low risk'. A woman who has ever had sex will probably have come into contact with HPV which causes cervical cancer so she should accept her invitation for cervical screening.