Please only send in photos if you have been requested to do so. Photos should be sent to our prescription email address from where they will be forwarded to the clinical who has requested them: s71401.prescriptions@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk 

Please note that by sending your photos in confirms your consent to add these to your medical file. Please limit the photos sent in as much as possible, ideally only a couple of photos.

Photos are emailed at your own risk from a non-secure account.

We’re Here to Help

Being diagnosed with cancer can be overwhelming and many people don’t know where to go for support. NHS Lothian and Macmillan Cancer Support want to offer everyone affected with cancer (including families and carers) time with a Link Worker to think about ‘what matters to them’ and access to the support they need. This service is for anyone affected by cancer at any point on their cancer journey.

Here are some of the things we can offer support with:

•Money or housing worries

•Work

•Caring responsibilities

•Physical concerns

•Emotional Concerns

•Other types of support

Referrals

• Anyone affected by cancer can directly refer themselves to the service or they can be referred by a professional
• Information required; the person’s name, CHI and a contact number (or you can use the referral form attached)
• Anyone referred will be contacted within 3 working with an appointment offered within 5-10 working days
• From September people with a new diagnosis of cancer will be invited to ‘opt in’ to the service by Public Health Scotland (6-8 weeks post diagnosis)

Due to COVID-19 guidance and to keep everyone safe, the service is currently offered over the telephone or by video call.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help or to refer, please contact us:

Tel no: 07977307286 / 07929784315

Email : loth.icj@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Appointments should be booked with our Treatment Room Nurse

Dementia UK provides specialist dementia support for families through Admiral Nurse Clinics.

If you are caring for someone living with dementia you can call or email your local Admiral Nurse Clinical to make an appointment, to seek specialist advice, support and clinical guidance about dementia, in confidence.

Admiral nurses have the skills, knowledge and experience to talk about, amongst others:

• Understanding the diagnosis, plus practical tips and advice for caring for a loved one with dementia
• Transition into nursing or residential home, or stays in hospital.
• Understanding symptoms and changes in behaviour, and managing your own feelings

Call 0131 357 2611 or email scotlandanclinic@dementia.org

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm

Western General Hospital
Crewe Road South,
Edinburgh,
EH4 2XU

The Minor Injuries Clinic at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh is open every day of the year, seven days a week, from 8am to 9pm (with the last patient book-in at 8.30pm).  No appointment is necessary.

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The clinic treats adults and children over one year old and is staffed by specialist nurse, paramedic and physiotherapy practitioners. It offers the following services:

• Treatment for a wide range of injuries, such as cuts, burns, sprains, wound infections and simple fractures for patients aged over one year.
• Advice and health promotion.
• Where appropriate or indicated, x-rays of limb injuries for patients aged 12 years and over, physiotherapy referrals, tetanus vaccination and simple analgesia.

Note: staff cannot x-ray or administer medicine for children under 12 years, apart from Calpol.

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The clinic opened on 1 November 1994, breaking new ground by becoming the first nurse-led unit of its kind in Scotland. In its first full year, it treated nearly 10,000 patients.

22 years on, the unit now treats around 25,000 people every year and continues to be at the forefront of quality care and one of NHS Lothian’s flagship services. Importantly, it provides a prompt, expert alternative to busy hospital emergency departments which are dealing with life-threatening injuries.

Over the years the Minor Injuries Clinic has developed protocols that allow its staff to see and treat a wider range of patients, rather than see and refer patients for treatment elsewhere. This has helped the clinic in its drive to provide a slicker one-stop and patient-centred service.

• If you want to check if your injury is suitable for treatment at the Minor Injuries Clinic, phone first on 0131 537 3481.
• The Minor Injuries Clinic is at the Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh.  The nearest entrance to the Minor Injuries Clinic is the entry via Porterfield Road. 

Click to view map detailing the location of the Western General Hospital.

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in Scotland after lung and breast cancer. Every year, almost 4,000 people are diagnosed with the disease. For men, the risk of getting colorectal cancer over the age of 50 is 1 in 18 (5.5%) and for women, the equivalent risk is 1 in 22 (4.5%). Bowel cancer is easier to treat the earlier it is diagnosed. The survival rate is more than 90% over five years when diagnosed at the earliest stage, compared to under 10% over five years at the most advanced stage.

The Scottish Bowel Screening Programme has been introduced to increase the number of patients being diagnosed at the earliest stages. The Screening Programme invites all men and women in Scotland between the ages of 50 to 74 for screening every two years. The letter is sent to your address, soon after your 50th birthday, and then every 2 years until you are 75. The address used to send you your kit is the address you have given to register here at Parkgrove Medical Centre.  Please ensure you keep your address up-to-date with us if you move.

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The screening test is a Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBt). The testing kit is sent by post, along with step-by-step instructions on how to use it (leaflet also linked at the end of this article). You complete the test at home and return it by Freepost to the national Bowel Screening Centre for Scotland. This test detects blood within your stool, which you are not able to see. You will also receive your results within two weeks, directly to your address.
Most test results are negative, however, if the results of the test are positive, you will be referred to hospital for further assessment, and if appropriate, may be offered a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy is the most effective test for detecting bowel cancer. The bowel is looked at directly, using a flexible tube with a camera, in an outpatient setting.
If you have lost your kit, or did not receive one, and are eligible for the Screening Programme, another kit can be requested by ringing the Scottish Bowel Screening Helpline: 0800 0121 833. This is also the number for further information.

Possible Symptoms of Bowel Cancer are:

• Repeated bleeding from your bottom or blood in your motions.
• A recent change in bowel habit that goes on day in day out for over 6 weeks without going back to normal.
• Looser motions or alternating with constipation (constipation alone is less likely to be serious).
• Pains in the tummy that are severe, continual and have started recently, especially after eating.
• You have recently lost weight without trying.
• You have been told that you are anaemic or look pale and feel tired much of the time.

These symptoms may be caused by a number of conditions including cancer but, if you have any of the above, make an appointment to see your doctor. As no screening test is 100% accurate, even after a negative screening test result, don’t ignore the above symptoms.

Further Information:
Scottish Bowel Screening Helpline 0800 0121 833.                            

• www.bowelscreening.scot.nhs.uk
• www.nhsinform.co.uk

All women aged between 25 and 65 should have a cervical smear test every 3 years. This is carried out by the Practice Nurse. You will receive a letter inviting you to have a smear test when it is due. Please make an appointment to see the Practice Nurse when you receive this letter. 

• http://getcheckedearly.org/cervical-cancer

You do not need to see your GP if you have done a home pregnancy test. You can refer yourself directly to your midwife by calling the telephone number below for your first appointment. You will be given the date to attend for your first appointment with your midwife and the date for your early pregnancy scan. Our Community Midwife provides an antenatal clinic all day Wednesday by appointment. 
The Community Midwife liaises with the Simpson Centre for Reproductive Medicine and St John’s Maternity Unit in Livingston to care for patients throughout their pregnancy. The contact number for 1st Maternity Appointments is 0131 536 2009.
Stewart Team Midwives 0131 286 5023.

Travelling in Europe

If you are travelling to Europe the EU has published useful information for travellers on the European website.

You should also apply for an E111 or EHIC (European Health Insurance) card, which entitles you to receive some free medical treatment in European countries. You can collect an application form at the Post office or apply online: https://www.gov.uk/global-health-insurance-card.

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This list is not exhaustive – please contact the clinics for prices:

The Specialist Travel Clinic -Yellow Fever Centre
Ward 41 Regional Infectious Disease Unit
Western General Hospital
Crewe Road South
Edinburgh
EH4 2XU
Tel: 0131 537 2822
www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/Services/A-Z/RIDU/TravelClinic

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Masta Travel (Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad)
5 Quality Street
Edinburgh
EH4 5BP
Tel: 0330 100 4169
www.masta-travel-health.com

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The Edinburgh Clinic
40 Colinton Road
Edinburgh
EH10 5BT
Tel: 0131 447 2340 Option 2
www.edinburghClinic.com

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Omnicare Parkgrove Pharmacy
509 Queensferry Road
Edinburgh
EH4 7QD
Tele: 0131 336 2861
www.omnicarepharmacy.co.uk

Please make an appointment at a travel clinic or for advice visit NHS (Fit for Travel) www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk our Treatment Room Nurse can provide and administer recommended vaccines which are available on the NHS.
NHS Vacc’s Hep A, Typhoid,Tetanus,Polio,Diptheria etc.
Please contact reception to arrange an appointment with the Nurse for the administration of funded vaccines. Please ensure that you bring your paperwork from your travel assessment appointment with you to this appointment – without this paperwork, we will be unable to vaccinate you.

After your visit to the travel clinic, please provide us with a list of any vaccinations that you have been given so we can update your medical record.