Clinics & Services
Your GP surgery team is made up of a range of healthcare professionals with the expertise to help you with your health needs.
Often the perception is that patients have to be treated by a doctor; however this is not always the case as doctors within your GP surgery are supported by a specialist team of nurses, healthcare assistants, physiotherapists and pharmacists.
Below are a series of videos that explain the roles of different staff that might be working within your GP surgery and how they can support you to manage your health and wellbeing.
Care Navigators
Care Navigators are members of the surgery reception team who have been trained to help patients get the right care from the right healthcare professional, as soon as possible This means that they may ask for a little more detail from the patient when they book an appointment. This is not to diagnose your problem. The reception team can ensure that you see the most appropriate clinician who can deal with your problem in the most efficient way. This may sometimes mean booking an appointment with the Nurse or asking you to speak to your local pharmacist.
Watch the video below to find out more about Care navigators:
https://youtu.be/Mb-w9ptp46U
Practice Nurse
Our Practice Nurses Sarah and Elizabeth provide a wide variety of patient care including cervical screening, infant vaccinations, injections, mental heath and well-being checks, contraceptives reviews, ear syringing, blood pressure monitoring, travel advice and vaccinations and chronic disease management.
Watch the video to find out more about Practice Nurses:
https://youtu.be/wu_Jn7uXAHY
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Nurse Practitioners are highly-trained professionals and can undertake complex reviews of patients, just like GPs. They can assess symptoms and build a picture of a patient's condition, treat minor health problems, infections and prescribe medication where necessary. The can also review chronic conditions and amend your medicines as needed.
Our Nurse Practitioner is called Adrienne and we may offer you an appointment to see her if we feel it is appropriate.
Watch the video below to find out more about Nurse Practitioners:
Social Prescribers
Patients visit their GPs for a range of different reasons and sometimes these issues can be caused by non-medical matters such as loneliness, anxiety, unemployment, illness or debt.
Social prescribers, also known as a link workers, work in partnership with GP surgeries and can help people to access appropriate support in the community to help them make positive changes to your personal wellbeing.
Watch the video below to find out more about Social Prescribers:
Healthcare Assistant
Healthcare Assistants can assist with a range of minor clinical duties. Our healthcare assistant Megan can help with things like taking blood samples, blood pressure checks, ear syringing, B12 injections etc, under the guidance of the wider healthcare professional team. Healthcare assistants work alongside the team and support with observing, monitoring and recording patients' conditions to provide joined-up care.
Watch the video below to find out more about healthcare assistants:
Clinic Pharmacist
Clinical Pharmacists are becoming more common place in GP practices and highly skilled at reviewing medications for patients who have long term conditions. They can also treat minor illnesses and refer patients onto other services.
To find out more, Watch the video below:
Mental Health Services
Looking after our mental health is important for everyone. If you, or someone you know requires support, it's important to find the right kind of help early on and your GP can help you to do this.
We have a Mental Health Practitioner at Withnell Health Centre called Lauren. Lauren holds clinics every Wednesday and she can offer a much longer appointment than the GP can. She can hep with a range of mental health problems including stress, low mood, depression, anxiety, PTSD, bereavement and psychosis.
To see more about Mental Health Practitioners in primary care and how they can help, please see the video link below.
https://youtu.be/w0P1pEF8Ryk
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health issues, you can also self-refer to Mindsmatter.
Mindsmatter is a wellbeing service offering a range of free psychological therapies to people aged 16 or over in Lancashire. 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem each year. Many of us go through difficult times in our lives which can leave us feeling worried, anxious or depressed and feeling unable to cope. Mindsmatter offer a range of brief therapeutic interventions across our localities to support people's differing emotional needs, this includes online, telephone and face-to-face therapy options.
All treatment is free and is provided by the NHS and their partners. You can self-refer to Mindsmatter by phone 01772 643168 or online www.lscft.nhs.uk/mindsmatter.
For anyone under 16, your GP can refer to the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS).
Blood Clinics
Our blood clinics are on a Monday and Tuesday at Withnell Health Centre. For alternative blood clinic days and times in our area, please click the link to see the blood clinic timetable.
Blood Clinic Timetable
Please note * Chorley Hospital no longer accept appointments for routine blood tests. Yo can walk in any day for urgent blood tests only. You will need an urgent blood form from your GP.
Midwife
We no longer hold antenatal clinics at Withnell Health Centre. If you have just found out you are pregnant you do not need to see your GP. You can self-refer to a midwife online at www.lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/pregnancy-self-referral.
Just complete and submit the online form and you will be contacted by a midwife to arrange your first appointment.
Physiotherapist
Musculoskeletal health issues such as back, muscle and joint pains are the most common cause of repeat GP appointments and account for around 1 in 5 of all GP appointments. Most of them can be dealt with effectively by a physiotherapist without any need to see the GP.
Research shows physiotherapists are the most expert professional group regarding musculoskeletal issues with the exception of orthopaedic consultants. They have the same high safety record as GPs and some are trained to administer steroid injections, order diagnostic tests including scans, and also prescribe medication.
If you are over 18 you can self refer to Physiotherapy by calling 01772 520900
If you are pregnant and need physiotherapy during your pregnancy you can self-refer by emailing coretherapies@lthtr.nhs.uk