Letters of Referral   Tel: 01454 772153 (Option 4 - Secretaries)

Should it be necessary for the doctor to refer you to an NHS Hospital Specialist, you are entitled to receive a copy of the referral letter.  These are available on request by telephoning our secretarial office and must be collected from the reception desk at the practice.  Please give at least 3 days notice.

If you request referral to a private specialist for a non-urgent problem, please allow one week when booking your appointment so that we can process your letter.

If you require an appointment, please do not leave a message on the secretaries answer phone, please redial the practice (01454 772153) and select option 6 - Care Navigators.

District Nurses:   Tel: 0300 125 6789 (Locality Office)

The district nurses provide skilled nursing care for patients in their own homes.  They care for the housebound.  Referrals are accepted direct to the district nurses from all agencies as well as from patients and their carers.  They specialise in many types of nursing including wound healing and palliative care.

Health Visitors:   Tel: 01454 315355 (Yate Westgate Centre and Minor Injuries)

Health visitors are specialist community public health nurses with skills related to childhood development.  Health visitors provide support and advice to families during the postnatal period through to pre-school age.  They provide guidance in a range of subjects including maintaining a healthy lifestyle, health related problems, parenting issues and managing childhood behaviour.  Your health visitor will visit you at home or at the GP medical centre by prior arrangement.  For further information please telephone the health visiting service.

Midwives: Maternity Booking Service:   Tel: 0117 414 6743

email: bookings.midwifery@nbt.nhs.uk

website: www.nbt.nhs.uk/antenatalbooking

Remember to take folic acid for three months before planned conception.  Please see a GP if there are any pre-conception concerns.  You do not need to see a GP to confirm that you are pregnant but you should arrange to see a midwife by booking an appointment using the above details.

Antenatal and postnatal care is often shared between the midwife, the GP and, where necessary, the hospital.