Shotton Lane Surgery

This website has been designed to tell you about the practice and the services that we offer.
Please read it carefully. We trust that you will find it helpful and informative.

PRACTICE HISTORY

The surgery was established in the 1950s and has expanded over the years. We now have 7800 patients in an approximate three-mile radius in the area shown on the practice area map. To provide care, there are three full-time and one part-time doctors working together in a partnership, plus two practice nurses. There are 13 members of staff who deal with administrative, secretarial and clerical work. We make full use of our local community hospital for general medicine, physiotherapy and X-rays. Consultations can be undertaken in Dutch, German and Spanish.

OPENING HOURS
Monday - Friday 8.30am - 6.00pm

Swine Flu and Shotton Lane Surgery – Help Us to Help You

“Swine flu” is like winter influenza in its presentation but it has generated so much hype because it has jumped from pigs to humans and spreads so easily. It does not usually need any specific treatment like Tamiflu!
It is called a “pandemic” because of this rapid spread among people on several continents.
The name Swine Flu and the word pandemic do not in itself indicate this is much more serious than winter flu.

Swine Flu is unlikely unless the patient has:
1. fever
2. aches all over
3. headache
4. (usually dry) cough
5. (sometimes) diarrhoea

Some people’s symptoms are very mild indeed.

The treatment is regular paracetamol or cocodamol (available without prescription), drinking small but frequent amounts of clear fluids (best is water), perhaps arranging a fan etc. Tepid sponging is good for smaller children.

Health professionals are taking the situation seriously because it is possible that in future the virus may become more virulent  and we are in essence “testing the systems” of dealing with a serious epidemic.

We are following national guidance which means:
* We no longer try and prevent contacts of patients becoming ill by giving Tamiflu
* We arrange Tamiflu only for patients in certain “at risk groups” that we suspect have influenza without trying to prove that it is Swine Flu (H1N1 flu). The “at-risk” group is essentially the people who have a yearly flu jab anyway plus children under 5 and some patients who take medication for rheumatoid and psoriasis that comes with a blood-monitoring package through Julie.
* We try and keep the Surgery running by  asking people with suspected flu to NOT come to see the doctor or nurse : we shall try and assess the situation by phone and see those that we feel need this

It is extremely disruptive to speak to everyone that wants to speak to a doctor so we may ask for your contact number to ring you back: make sure we have the correct phone number.  It would help us if you try ringing NHS Direct first.

Once again, we feel that the danger has been much overstated!