We offer a range of clinics and services at the surgery. There are some tasks you can do, such as health reviews, using our online forms.
Advanced nurse practitioner service
Westgate Practice offers an advanced nurse practitioner service providing appointments Monday to Friday 9am until 4:30pm.
If you have a minor illness or injury for which you think you need to be seen on the same day, you can book an appointment with one of our advanced nurse practitioners. There is a high demand for same day appointments so it is very important that when asked by the receptionist you accurately describe your reason for requiring an appointment. This will help us ensure you get the right care, by the right person, when you need it.
Advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs) are specialist nurses who have undertaken additional training to provide advanced nursing care and prescribe medications. They can assess, examine, and diagnose a wide range of minor injuries and illnesses, provide advice, treatment and prescriptions if required. They can also refer patients with an urgent clinical need to hospital.
A detailed list of the conditions and inclusion and exclusion criteria can be found on the Westgate Practice website.
Please be aware that The Westgate Practice works as a team and therefore the patient services team may need to enquire about your symptoms so that they can direct you to the appropriate health care provider.
Practice nurse appointments
Our team of practice nurses and healthcare assistants have a range of experience and specialise in many areas. A range of appointments are available. The role of the team includes:
- Well person checks
- Contraception – pill check, coil and implant fitting
- Family planning
- Child health clinics and immunisations
- Cervical smears
- Travel advice and immunisations
- Annual reviews for patients with ongoing medical problems – asthma, diabetes, COPD, heart disease, learning disabilities
- Insulin initiation
- Diagnostic tests – ECG’s, hearing tests
- Wound dressing
- Blood pressure checks
- Influenza vaccination (available annually between October and March)
- Shingles vaccination
- Pneumococcal vaccination
Please be aware that it will be necessary for our reception staff to ask the nature of your appointment to ensure this is with the most appropriate member of the team.
Cervical smears
Cervical smear appointments are available from 8am until 7pm, Monday to Friday. We have an all female clinical team to conduct these. Patients can self book once they have received their invitation either from NHSE or the practice. If you have any queries, concerns or aspects of the procedure you would like to discuss, this should be booked with a practice nurse beforehand.
Anti coagulation (warfarin) clinic
These inhouse clinics are to monitor and support patients on warfarin. The clinic takes place at Greenhill Health Centre every Monday and Thursday. It is a simple thumb prick and your warfarin dose is determined there and then.
Please contact the surgery if you would like to be seen at our in-house clinic.
Child immunisation clinics
It is important to keep your child’s vaccinations up to date; clinics are held at Greenhill each Tuesday and Wednesday morning for child immunisations.
Tuesday morning is for older children aged 12 months to 3 1/2 years, these appointments are to be booked by parents and a reminder letter will be sent to you when your child is due to attend. The Wednesday clinic is for babies having their first primary immunisations and 8 week checks. These appointments are sent to parents from Staffordshire Child Health Immunisation Service.
We encourage parents where possible to bring their children to the designated clinics as we have 2 qualified nurses in each clinic to ensure/maximise safety when administering vaccines to small children. We can however accommodate immunisations at other times if parents are unable to attend the clinics.
Community health services
As part of our full health care service, the practice works with a team of:
- District nurses
- Chiropodists
- Health visitors
- Dentists
- Midwives
- Psychologists
- Community matron
- Dieticians
- Pharmacists
- Community physiotherapists
- Community psychiatric nurses
- Speech therapists
The district nurses are no longer based at Greenhill Health Centre.
The Lichfield district nurses can be contacted by phone on 0300 1240347, Monday to Sunday, 9am to 11pm.
District nurses for caring for the chronic sick and terminally ill in the community. Wound care and promotion of continence. Assisted by the infection control nurses.
Community psychiatric nurses promote mental health in the community. They are responsible for special treatment and intervention of mental health needs.
To access speech therapy, chiropody or the dietician you need to be referred by your GP.
Health visitors service
The health visitors hold a weekly drop in session at Greenhill Health Centre on Friday afternoon between 12:30pm and 2:30pm. Other drop in sessions are held on different days at other health centres in the area, and Westgate Practice patients can attend any of those sessions. These session times may be subject to change and the most up to date information can be found on the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust website.
The number for contacting the health visitors Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm is 01543 431586.
The families health and wellbeing service is also available to support families with children 0 to 19 years living in Staffordshire, phone 0300 303 3924 for more information.