Clinics and Services

Requesting Clinics and Services

If you would like to request an appointment for any of our clinics and services, please make an appointment in the following ways:

Please visit our Health Review and Assessment Clinic if you have been advised by the surgery to complete a health review or assessment.

Our surgery offers the following clinics and healthcare services:

Health Promotion

We encourage all our patients to share the responsibility for their health, both in preventing disease and in treating existing diseases. Prevention really is better than cure. Many of the most serious diseases can be prevented by a healthy lifestyle and without the need for drugs.

Please feel free to discuss general health and ask for advice. We believe we can help you to help yourself to live, not only a longer but also a fitter and more enjoyable life.

If you have been advised by the surgery to submit a blood pressure review, please use eConsults Hypertension Review form.

Diabetic Clinic

Diabetic patients are seen for regular check-ups. The clinics are held at the surgery and you will be sent an appointment. You will see the diabetic nurse and/or a doctor – this is usually Dr Wace or Dr McGonigle.

If you have been advised by the surgery to submit a diabetes review, please use eConsults Diabetes Review form.

Asthma Clinics

These are held twice a week by a nurse with special training in the care of asthma and are run in conjunction with one of the doctors.

If you have been advised by the surgery to submit an asthma or breathlessness review, please use eConsults Asthma Review form.

Flu Clinics

We aim to vaccinate the vast majority of our eligible patients between October and December each year. This means the vaccine is as effective as possible when the flu season starts.

We would like to see as many eligible people as possible during our flu clinics in October and we are planning to make the clinic as fast and efficient as possible on those days.

NHS Health Checks

These free checks are being offered to patients aged between 40 and 74 to assess the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, kidney disease or diabetes. You will need to attend for a blood test prior to your booked appointment.

If you are already on a disease register or taking cholesterol-lowering medication, you do not need to attend for this check. You will be invited separately to one of our disease monitoring clinics.

Well Woman Clinics and Cervical Smears

All of our nurses are experienced in taking cervical smears. A well woman clinic is held once or twice a week by one of our nurses. The doctors will do smears in surgeries and are always assisted by the nurses.

Please make it clear that you wish to have a smear when you make the appointment. We recommend that all women have regular smear tests and all of our patients are sent a letter of reminder.

Well Man Clinics

The doctors and nurses are happy to see men for advice on health promotion and on lifestyle. Everyone should have a blood pressure check every three years. Check out our new blood pressure machine at the surgery, for your convenience.

Family Planning

A full range of family planning services is available. Feel free to ask for advice, we have a wide range of leaflets about different methods of contraception. You may prefer to see a woman doctor or the nurse for some matters.

If you need advice about emergency contraception we will usually try to give you an appointment on that day. Dr Pullan and Dr Lomas fit coils. Dr Pullan is trained to insert the contraceptive implant.

If you have been advised by the surgery to submit a contraception review, please use eConsults Contraceptive Pill Review form.

Maternity Care

We offer antenatal and postnatal care. Together with our midwife and consultant colleagues, we offer a full maternity service. This care is usually shared between these three disciplines and patients are free to decide whether to have their baby either at the Rosie Maternity Hospital in Cambridge or at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds. Consultants from both hospitals hold antenatal clinics at Newmarket Hospital. Ultrasound scans and blood tests can be performed there too.

If the pregnancy is confirmed please come to the surgery and request a maternity pack. We hold packs for both the Rosie hospital and the West Suffolk hospital. You need to decide your preferred hospital in which you wish to have your baby and request the appropriate pack. Please follow the instructions in the pack regarding your first booking appointment.

Minor Injuries

Patients may be seen in the surgery for a range of minor injuries. These are things such as minor burns, minor sprains, cuts, insect or dog bites. Please contact the surgery for advice. We may still need to refer you to A&E, e.g. for suspected fractures, but many minor injuries can be dealt with by our doctors and nurses.

Travel Vaccinations

For travel self help and NHS information, pharmacy and GP advice and treatment, please visit eConsults Travel Section.

Orchard House Surgery no longer runs a full Travel Clinic service. Patients requiring travel advice should either attend a travel clinic or refer to one of the following websites:

There are travel clinics based in Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds. Some pharmacies and supermarkets also provide this service.

We will continue to offer vaccinations that are free on the NHS, only if recommended. These are as follows:

  • Tetanus
  • Diphtheria
  • Polio
  • Hepatitis A
  • Typhoid

It is the patient’s responsibility to find out what is required for their travel destination and it is strongly recommended that vaccinations are given at least four weeks prior to travel.

We will give these vaccinations at routine nurse appointments and they will not be part of a fully comprehensive travel consultation. We will no longer be issuing Malaria prescriptions.

Practice Nurses

The practice nurses can carry out a wide range of services including:

  • Wound dressing and suture removal
  • Family planning advice
  • Cervical smear tests and the well woman clinic
  • Childhood immunizations
  • Minor casualty service
  • Blood tests
  • Special clinics
  • Well woman clinic
  • Asthma clinic
  • Diabetic clinic
  • Vascular clinic (stroke and heart problems)
  • Chest clinic
  • Health promotion and lifestyle advice (eg smoking, weight loss)
  • ECG tests
  • Chlamydia screening