Joint Injections

Joint Injection clinics are held regularly by our First Point Physiotherapist.  To book an appointment please ring our Appointment Line on 01889 572057 to arrange an initial consultation to discuss your requirements.

Health Promotion

We run a range of health promotion clinics including, blood pressure checks; cervical cytology; weight management and immunisations, in particular for those traveling abroad. To book an appointment with one of the Practice Nurses please telephone the appointments line.

Chronic Disease Management

If you have one of the following conditions you will be invited annually to attend a Nurse led clinic.

  • Diabetes
  • Asthma
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  • Hypertension
  • Mental Health conditions
  • History of a heart attack or heart bypass surgery
  • History of a CVA (stroke)
  • Chronic Kidney Disease
  • Peripheral Vascular Disease
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis

Run by our fully trained Nursing team, these clinics offer various appropriate clinic tests, advice, support and a general health check.

For any further information please contact us on 01889 572057

Child Health and Immunisations

Immunisations carried out by the Practice Nurses are performed during their routine surgery.  The routine 8 weeks child health surveillance checks are performed by a doctor during this session.

Ante-Natal

Ante-Natal clinics are held at Springfields Health and Wellbeing Centre, Rugeley

  • Tuesdays – between 1.30pm – 4.30pm
  • Thursdays – between 1.30pm – 4.30pm

If you are told that you are pregnant, you will need to complete a form, which is available from the Reception Desk.

Your initial consultation with the midwife will usually take place in your home. You will be asked a few questions and the midwife will carry out some general health checks, and will arrange your hospital bookings. Throughout your pregnancy you will be seen regularly either at the practice or at the local hospital, or both.

There is an additional leaflet about our ante-natal services available upon request.

Additional Services

In addition to the Essential Services provided by the practice, the practice also provides the following Additional Services:

  • Childhood Vaccinations and Immunisations
  • Flu and Pneumococcal Immunisations
  • Fitting IUCD and Mirena – Not available at present
  • Fitting of Contraceptive Implants – Not available at present
  • Monitoring for patients on long term medication
  • Anti-coagulation monitoring
  • Neonatal examinations
  • Post natal examinations
  • Patients who are Alcohol users
  • Spirometry
  • Care Plans for Vulnerable Patients

Essential Services

The Practice will provide, within core hours, primary medical services required for the management of its registered patients and temporary residents, who are, or believe themselves to be, ill with conditions from which recovery is generally expected, terminally ill or suffering from chronic disease; delivered in the manner determined by the Practice in discussion with the patient.

The Practice will also provide primary medical services required within core hours for the immediately necessary treatment of any person requesting treatment owing to an accident or emergency at any place within its practice area.

The Practice will include the provision of appropriate ongoing treatment and care to all registered patients and temporary residents, taking account of their specific needs including the provision of advice in connection with patients health, including relevant health promotion and the referral of other NHS services.

Pharmacy Services – find a pharmacy

Your pharmacy can deal with many problems; although these may vary the majority of pharmacies deal with the following issues.

Pharmacies can give treatment advice about a range of common conditions and minor injuries, such as:

  • aches and pains
  • sore throat
  • coughs
  • colds
  • flu
  • earache
  • cystitis
  • skin rashes
  • teething
  • red eye

Please use the link below to find your nearest pharmacy:

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy

Nurse Practitioners

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Patients who contact us regularly will know that our GP Team are supported by our Nurse Practitioners.

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Carl, Jackie and Katie work closely with our GP Team.

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They are qualified to assess all minor illnesses, meaning that you may not need to see a GP.

This means that more GP appointments are available to patients with long-term issues; chronic illnesses; mental health problems etc.

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Carl, Jackie and Katie are qualified to prescribe medication, and refer to other services when required.

They also have access to a GP should they feel that their patient needs additional clinical input.

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Jackie is a long-standing member of our Clinical Team, and many of our patients already know her well.

Katie joined us in October last year; she is a welcome addition to our Clinical Team. Katie also holds clinics at The Horsefair Practice.

Carl previously worked as a Paramedic, and is now a qualified Urgent Care Practitioner.

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We receive regular, excellent feedback from our patients regarding the service they have received from Katie, Jackie and Carl.

We are proud that they form an important part of our wider Clinical Team.

Medical Examiner Service (associated with Death Certificates)

Who are Medical Examiners and Medical Examiner Officers?

Since 2019 senior NHS doctors have had the opportunity to receive specialist training and spend some of their time working as Medical Examiners at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

Alongside other specially trained staff, their job is to give independent advice into causes of deaths; except for deaths which have to be reviewed by a Coroner.

The Medical Examiners ensure that all deaths are reviewed by someone who is independent and who was not involved in the patient’s care.

The Medical Examiner will work with the GP to ensure that the information contained on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), is correct and that referrals to the Coroner are made, if necessary, in a timely and appropriate manner to avoid delays.

Medical Examiners and their staff (usually called Medical Examiner Officers) offer families and carers an opportunity to raise questions or concerns about the cause of death of a loved one or about the care they received beforehand.

This will usually be done over the phone and, if required, a meeting can be arranged.

A key role of the Medical Examiner is to make it easier for the bereaved to understand the wording on the Medical Certificate which explains the cause of death.

Medical Examiners also look at the relevant medical records and discuss the causes of death with the doctor completing the MCCD.

Coroners

Some deaths must be notified to the Coroner. When the Coroner starts an investigation, he or she will investigate the death independently; although the Medical Examiner may still provide expert medical advice to the Coroner.

Further information in relation to Coroners can be found on the Ministry of Justice website, as the government are responsible for the guidance.

Alternatively, you can e-mail: coroners@justice.gov.uk

What questions will I be asked when the Medical Examiner’s Office contact me?

The Medical Examiner or their staff will explain what is written on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and what it means and will ask if you have any questions or concerns.

They will also discuss the Medical Examiner’s review and ask if there are any concerns or questions about the care the person received before their death.

This is the best time for you to raise questions and speak about anything that concerns you.

You will have the opportunity to ask further questions, if you wish to do so.

In instances, where the Medical Examiner will not be able to answer your questions immediately, the Medical Examiner will assist in seeking answers, as appropriate, and advise you about sources of additional support available.

Why am I being asked if I have any concerns?

A discussion with a Medical Examiner or their staff provides you with an opportunity to have an open and honest conversation and address any worries or concerns with someone who was not involved in providing care to the person who died.

It could be as simple as helping you to understand more about the treatment and cause/s of death or to understand the medical language used.

There may be something about the care which you think did not feel right; this is an opportunity to ask questions.

The Medical Examiner will provide an independent view of causes of death and the care provided. Medical Examiners and their staff will discuss your thoughts, questions and concerns and if they find issues with care that need further investigation, will refer these on.

As well as answering your questions, this can help us to provide better care for patients, their families and carers by recognising ways in which care can be improved in the future.

Can I nominate someone else to talk, if it is too difficult for me?

Yes, the Medical Examiner or their staff may contact you to ask who you would like us to talk to instead, or you can let the medical team know if you would rather appoint someone else as a first point of contact.

The Medical Examiner or Medical Examiner Officer will usually contact you by phone, however, we can make other arrangements if you let us know.

What if I do not want to speak to the Medical Examiner or their staff or I do not want to tell them about my concerns?

Medical Examiners are independent, so we would like you to speak to them or their staff, if possible.

They will help explain things to you and are specially trained to answer your questions.

However, we understand this is a difficult time for many people and so speaking to someone is completely your choice.

If you are not sure, you can contact the Medical Examiner or their staff on:

Telephone:

01902 695942 / 01902 445863 / 01902 444072

Email: rwh-tr.medicalexaminerservice@nhs.net

They can give you more information which will help you decide if you want to go ahead – they are specially trained to help people during difficult times and will be very understanding and supportive of your wishes.

If Medical Examiners find any potential issues, they will be able to raise these with people responsible for the care of the person who died or refer the issues on to someone who can investigate further.

Speaking with the Medical Examiner and Medical Examiner Officers can help improve the care provided by the NHS to other patients and carers in future.

The Medical Examiners Office may share anonymised feedback to practices to provide learning and improve quality of care provision.

What would happen if something was not right?

The Medical Examiner and Medical Examiner Officers are here to listen to your questions and concerns, provide answers if possible and, if necessary, pass them on to someone who can investigate further.

Medical Examiners will not investigate further themselves, as they must complete their work within set time limits for the death certification process.

Will funeral plans or release of the body take longer?

We make every effort to avoid any delays and work with families and carers to meet the legal requirements for registering deaths and, therefore it is not anticipated that the funeral plans or release of the body will take longer.

What can I do if I have questions or concerns about the Medical Examiner process?

If you are not satisfied with the Medical Examiner’s advice, we suggest you discuss this with staff from the Medical Examiner’s office in the first instance.

If you are still not satisfied, you can contact us as follows:

Sandy Lane Surgery

Sandy Lane Health Centre

Sandy Lane

Rugeley  WS15 2LB

sandylanesurgery@nhs.net

How can I contact the Medical Examiner office?

You can contact the Medical Examiner office either by phone or email:

Telephone: 01902 695942 / 01902 445863 / 01902 444072

Email: rwh-tr.medicalexaminerservice@nhs.net

The opening hours are Monday – Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm

Privacy Statement – Medical Examiner Service

Medical Examiner Service – Following the death of any patients of Sandylane surgery we are now obliged to inform the Medical Examiner Service. Medical examiner offices at acute trusts now provide independent scrutiny of non-coronial deaths occurring in acute hospitals. The role of these offices is now being extended to also cover deaths occurring in the community. Medical Examiner Offices are led by medical examiners, senior doctors from a range of specialties including general practice, who provide independent scrutiny of deaths not taken at the outset for coroner investigation. They put the bereaved at the centre of processes after the death of a patient, by giving families and next of kin an opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns. Medical examiners carry out a proportionate review of medical records, and liaise with doctors completing the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). The Practice will share any patient information with the service upon request.