Clinics and services

Sydenham House Surgery
Mill Court
Ashford
Kent
TN24 8DN
Tel: 01233 645851

News:

Appointments
Appointments may be made by telephoning 01233 645851 or by calling personally at the surgery.

Routine appointments may be made well in advance (maximum 8 weeks), which will enable us to offer you an appointment at a time best suited to your requirements.

Out of Hours
For emergencies outside surgery hours please call South East Health Ltd 0845 434 9655.

Cancelling your Appointment
If you are unable to attend an appointment with one of the doctors or nurses, please telephone or use the link at the bottom of this page to cancel your appointment.

Announcements

01 Sep - 01 Oct
NHS Smokefree

Find out about all of the free NHS services available to support you as you go try to give up smoking.

01 Aug - 01 Oct
NHS Summer Health

Stay safe in the sun, including sunscreens, sunburn relief, heat exhaustion, eczema and moles. Summer holidays are great fun for children, but can bring risks. Find out more

01 Jul - 01 Oct
Change for Life

Would you like loads of tips and help to make changes for a healthier future? As part of Change4Life, you will receive tons of helpful information, recipes, tools, tips, and games for the kids.

BBC Health

UK radiotherapy 'lagging behind'

Too few UK cancer patients are receiving state-of-the-art radiotherapy care, experts from Cancer Research UK say.

ME 'virus link' found in children

ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, in children could be caused by a virus, scientists say.

Gaps persist in cancer survival

Despite significant improvements in cancer survival rates across England, regional differences remain, national statistics show.

'Genetic link' to breast cancer

Researchers have identified a series of genetic variations which may play a role in a common breast cancer.

Bipolar 'not linked to violence'

People with a mental illness are no more likely to be violent unless they abuse drugs or alcohol, a study suggests.

NHS in Wales faces £380m cutbacks

The Welsh NHS faces making £380m worth of cutbacks by April, with managers saying it is the biggest challenge they have faced in 20 years.

Diabetes drug advice 'not heeded'

A type two diabetes drug is still being prescribed in the UK two months after it was recommended for withdrawal, BBC Panorama learns.

Junior medics 'leaving training'

Nearly one in four junior doctors drop out of their NHS training after two years, figures show.

Gum and heart link 'breakthrough'

Scientists say they have established one reason why gum disease may increase the risk of heart disease.

Reading Arabic 'hard for brain'

Israeli scientists believe they have identified why Arabic is particularly hard to learn to read.

Yahoo Health

US smoking rate still stuck at 1 in 5 adults (AP)

AP - U.S. smoking rates continue to hold steady, at about one in five adults lighting up regularly, frustrated health officials reported Tuesday.

FDA cites claims on 2 green tea beverages (AP)

AP - Federal health regulators have issued warnings to the makers of Canada Dry ginger ale and Lipton tea for making unsubstantiated nutritional claims about their green tea-flavored beverages.

FDA relents from midodrine withdrawal plan (AP)

AP - Federal regulators have backed off a plan to remove a Shire PLC low blood-pressure treatment from the market after warning in August that the drug has not been proven effective.

Japan confirms its first case of new superbug gene (AP)

AP - Japan has confirmed the nation's first case of a new gene in bacteria that allows the microorganisms to become drug-resistant superbugs, detected in a man who had medical treatment in India, a Health Ministry official said Tuesday.

Picking right blood pressure medicine challenging (AP)

AP - It's hard to predict which pills will best lower which patient's high blood pressure, but researchers are hunting ways to better personalize therapy — perhaps even using a blood test.

Cholera outbreak in Cameroon 'worst in 20 years' (AP)

AP - UNICEF says more than 300 people have died in the West African nation of Cameroon from the country's worst cholera outbreak in 20 years.

Lack of Sleep May Be Linked to Childhood Obesity (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Infants and preschoolers who don't get enough sleep at night are at increased risk for later childhood obesity, a new study suggests.

For Bonobo Males, Mom Is the Best Wingman (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - To most human males, the thought of your mother anywhere near your sex life is probably horrifying. Not so for the bonobo, one of our closest primate relatives. A new study confirms that hanging out with mom boosts male bonobos' chances of getting intimate with a fertile female.

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 7, 2010 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

Four million child deaths avoidable in past decade: report (AFP)

Four million children have died in the past decade because governments have not spread major medical advances to the poor, a leading aid group said Tuesday.(AFP/File/Behrouz Mehri)

AFP - Four million children have died in the past decade because governments have not spread major medical advances to the poor, a leading aid group said Tuesday.

MedPage Today

More Human Trials Needed for HIV Vaccine Hunt

(MedPage Today) -- HIV vaccine researchers are calling for more and better human trials as part of the quest for ways to block transmission of the virus.

Patients Expect More from PCI than It Delivers (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Cardiologists fully understand the limits of percutaneous coronary interventions -- but their patients are often overly optimistic about the benefits of PCI, a new survey revealed.

Splint Matches Cast for Kids' Wrist Fractures (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- In children with wrist fractures, a splint works as well as a cast, researchers reported.

Behcet's Takes Higher Toll in Men (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Men with Behçet's disease are much more likely than women to die of this chronic multisystem vasculitis, a large French study found.

City Living Can Drive You Crazy (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Increased social fragmentation in large cities is a large part of the reason that psychotic disorders are more common in urban areas, researchers have suggested.

Tapentadol Eases OA Pain (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- The centrally acting, extended-release analgesic tapentadol provided effective pain relief in patients with knee osteoarthritis, but with fewer of the gastrointestinal side effects seen with oxycodone, a phase III study found.

Consumer Reports Ranks Bypass Surgery Centers

(MedPage Today) -- The group responsible for Consumer Reports on everything from vacuums to cars today released a report card for CABG outcomes at roughly 20% of the nation's cardiac surgery centers.

Malpractice Adds Less than 3% to Healthcare Tab

(MedPage Today) -- Costs associated with medical malpractice added about $55.6 billion to the nation's total healthcare costs in 2008 -- roughly 2.4% of a more than $2.3-trillion tab -- and most of that money went to pay for tests, procedures, and treatments associated with defensive medicine, according to an analysis by Harvard researchers.

Sitting at Work Not Hazardous to Your Health (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Adverse health outcomes including cancer and cardiovascular disease can't be blamed on prolonged occupational sitting, at least not until additional clarifying research is done, a systematic review concluded.

Low-Carb Diet is Better When Rich in Veggies (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Eating a low-carbohydrate diet in which more fat and protein sources come from plants than animals may be protective against death, researchers say.

Clinics

Vaccination Schedule

Travel Information

ANTENATAL CLINICS

Antenatal clinics are held jointly by the doctors and midwife.

In nearly all cases the majority of your antenatal care will be carried out in the practice clinic. Please always bring a urine sample in the standard container to the clinic.

Please telephone for more detailed information.

CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND IMMUNISATION CLINIC

The practice operates child development and immunisation clinics together with the practice health visitors. Please telephone for further information.

FAMILY PLANNING

Contraceptive care is provided by all the doctors during surgery hours.

SEXUAL HEALTH CLINIC

This clinic is run by the practice nurse.

NON-NHS EXAMINATIONS

Medical examinations for special reasons e.g. employment, fitness to drive or insurance are not undertaken during routine surgery times. As special arrangements must be made, a fee is payable.

VACCINATIONS FLU VACCINATION

An influenza vaccination is particularly recommended for all patients over 65 and those with heart, lung, kidney disease, diabetes and asthma. Please contact the reception staff in September for details of the vaccination dates and to make an appointment. District nurses are able to give vaccinations to those who are housebound.

PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINATION

A pneumococcal vaccination is available to anyone over 65 and patients with chronic diseases i.e. asthma, COPD and heart disease.

MINOR SURGERY

The doctors perform certain surgical procedures by prior arrangement. These may save unnecessary visits to the hospital.

At two months old:

Diptheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (DTaP/IPV/Hib) - one injection
Pneumococcal infection - pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) - one injection

At three months old:

Diptheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (DTaP/IPV/Hib) - one injection
Meningitis C (meningococcal group C) (MenC) - one injection

At four months old:

Diptheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (DTaP/IPV/Hib) - one injection
Meningitis C (meningococcal group C) (MenC) - one injection
Pneumococcal infection - pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) - one injection

At around 12 months old:

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and meningitis C (Hib/MenC) - booster dose in one injection

At around 13 months old:

Measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) (MMR) - one injection
Pneumococcal infection - pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) - one injection

Three years four months to five years old (pre-school):

Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) and polio (dTaP/IPV or DTaP/IPV) - one injection
Measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) (MMR) - one injection

13 to 18 years old:

Diphtheria, tetanus and polio (Td/IPV) - one injection

If you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel you need to make an appointment with the practice nurse to discuss your travel arrangements. This will include which countries and areas within countries that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required. There is further information about countries and vaccinations required on the links below

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

It is important to make this initial appointment as early as possible - at least 6 weeks before you travel - as a second appointment will be required with the practice nurse to actually receive the vaccinations. These vaccines have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine. Your second appointment needs to be at least 2 weeks before you travel to allow the vaccines to work.

Most travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge. This is because travel vaccination is not included in the services provided by the NHS and therefore is a chargeable service.

Travel Health Questionnaire

To help us offer the appropriate advice, please fill out the online form before coming to see the nurse.

clock2 Travel Questionnaire

Practice Information

For quick medical advice online or on the telephone contact NHS Direct