Elms Medical Centre
Tel: 01244 351000

Blacon Clinic
Tel: 01244 390103

News:

Making Appointments at the Surgery - Please contact the surgery on 01244 351000 to make both routine and urgent appointments with the GPs and Nurses

GP Care Plus
Extended Opening is available to all patients to book a routine appointment outside of practice opening hours. This service can be found at the 1829 Building at the Countess of Chester Health Park

Appointments are available
Mon - Fri 6.30-8pm
Sat 10am - 12pm

Please call 01244 385422 between 8am-6pm to book an appointment up to 2 weeks in advance

Out of Hours
Please ring 01244 385300. When the surgery is closed care is provided by GP’s and nurses employed by the Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust and your doctor may not be on duty.

Home Visits
If you are too ill to attend surgery then please telephone 01244 351000 before 10-30am. State clearly the name and address of the patient and describe the symptoms. This helps the doctors to decide the urgency of the calls and plan their rounds.

Test Results
Please telephone between 11.30am and 5.00pm for the results of tests, x-rays etc.

Announcements

01 Sep - 01 Oct
NHS Smokefree

Find out about all of the free NHS services available to support you as you go try to give up smoking.

01 Aug - 01 Oct
NHS Summer Health

Stay safe in the sun, including sunscreens, sunburn relief, heat exhaustion, eczema and moles. Summer holidays are great fun for children, but can bring risks. Find out more

01 Jul - 01 Oct
Change for Life

Would you like loads of tips and help to make changes for a healthier future? As part of Change4Life, you will receive tons of helpful information, recipes, tools, tips, and games for the kids.

BBC Health

Vitamin B 'puts off Alzheimer's'

High doses of B vitamins may slow the rate of brain shrinkage in older people experiencing warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, a study says.

Hospital boss summoned to inquest

The chief executive of an NHS trust appears at an inquest into an elderly patient's death after she was summoned by the coroner.

NHS IT costs to be cut by £700m

The government has announced £700m of savings in the national IT programme for the NHS in England, cutting the overall cost to £11.4bn.

Second death linked to outbreak

Health officials are investigating a second death which is being linked to a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in south Wales.

Vitamin 'may stop' spina bifida

Scientists begin a study to determine if an everyday vitamin supplement could help prevent a common birth defect.

Payout after brain tumour mistake

A former clergyman receives undisclosed substantial damages after a Nottingham hospital fails to diagnose a brain tumour.

Outbreak probe at industry sites

There are now 12 cases linked to a Legionnaires' outbreak, as health officials focus on south Wales industrial sites in the search for the cause.

More obesity ops 'will save cash'

Millions of pounds are lost in England by the failure of the NHS to provide more obesity operations, a study says.

Inquiry to hear from HIV victims

The injury into contaminated NHS blood products in the 1980s will hear from the victims who contracted HIV and Hepatitis.

Statins 'may cut arthritis risk'

Taking statins may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, a study suggests.

Yahoo Health

FDA warns of deadly side effect with imaging drugs (AP)

AP - Federal health regulators are warning doctors that a class of injectable drugs used in MRI medical imaging scans can cause a rare and sometimes fatal condition in patients with kidney disease.

CDC: Adults eating less fruit, not enough veggies (AP)

AP - An apple a day? Apparently not in the United States.

Study: Flamboyant male dancing attracts women best (AP)

FILE- This is a file photo of John Travolta and Karen Gorney dance in a nightclub scene to disco music in Paramount Pictures 1977 film 'Saturday Night Fever', which explores the restless generation growing up in the 70's. John Travolta was onto something. Women are most attracted to male dancers who have big, flamboyant moves similar to the actor's trademark style, British scientists say in a new study. (AP Photo/HO, File)

AP - John Travolta was onto something. Women are most attracted to male dancers who have big, flamboyant moves similar to the actor's trademark style, British scientists say in a new study.

Doctors see eye hazard in powerful laser pointers (AP)

AP - A 15-year-old boy damaged his eyes while playing with a laser pointer he'd bought over the Internet, say doctors who warn that dangerously high-powered versions are easily available online.

Group backs mandatory flu shots for health workers (AP)

AP - Flu vaccination should be required for all doctors, nurses and other health workers, the nation's largest pediatricians' group says, calling it a long overdue step to protect patients.

CVS Caremark to give away up to $5M in flu shots (AP)

AP - CVS Caremark Corp. said Wednesday it will give away up to $5 million in seasonal flu vaccinations to people without health insurance.

Risks of old, new diet drugs face U.S. scrutiny (Reuters)

Reuters - The risks of a potential new diet pill and a 13-year-old weight-loss medicine face U.S. scrutiny next week as medical experts consider if the drugs' benefits outweigh possible side effects.

Doctors alarmed by HIV risk for European gays (AFP)

Homosexual men in Europe are increasingly failing to adhere to safe sex, according to two new studies. In France, transmission of the AIDS virus

AFP - Homosexual men in Europe are increasingly failing to adhere to safe sex, according to two new studies. In France, transmission of the AIDS virus "seems to be out of control" among men who have sex with men, said a paper published on Thursday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 9, 2010 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

Smoking Could Harm Sperm, Study Finds (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Two new studies provide evidence that smoking can harm sperm - both in smoking men who may become fathers, and in sons born to women who smoked during pregnancy.

MedPage Today

Carotid Stenting Too Risky for Older Patients (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Carotid stenting should be avoided in symptomatic patients ages 70 and older but may be as safe as its surgical counterpart in younger patients, researchers determined.

Money for ESC Research Flows Again, for Now

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- A federal appeals court has ruled that government funding of embryonic stem cell (ESC) research can resume while it mulls a federal district court judge's ruling blocking the funds.

H1N1 School Closures 'No Problem' for Most Families

(MedPage Today) -- School and day care closures due to the 2009 pandemic of H1N1 flu weren't a big problem for most parents, researchers found.

E-Cigs Need Approval, FDA Says

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The FDA has sent letters to five manufacturers of electronic cigarettes warning that they are in violation of federal law by claiming their products help smokers quit.

Most Americans Skip Fruits and Vegetables

(MedPage Today) -- Fruit and vegetable consumption increased significantly in only one state during 2009, and all 50 states and the District of Columbia continued to fall far short of recommended daily intake, according to a study from the CDC.

Kidney Just 'Latest' Organ for Some Transplant Patients (CME/CE, with audio)

(MedPage Today) -- The kidney transplant list is increasingly populated by patients who've already beat the odds by receiving other organ transplants, researchers found.

Winter Olympics a World of Hurt

(MedPage Today) -- More than one out of every 10 athletes from around the world who competed in last winter's Olympic Games in Vancouver sustained an injury, researchers have found.

Weight Loss May Release Stored Toxins (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Environmental pollutants trapped in fat cells could be released back into circulation when people lose a lot of weight, researchers said.

FDA Recalls Balloon Catheter

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The FDA has issued a class I recall -- its most serious -- of a balloon catheter due to possible separation during use, which may lodge fragments in coronary arteries and result in serious injury or death.

Little Support for Morning Sickness Therapies (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Treatment for pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting has little high-quality supporting evidence in the medical literature, despite multiple randomized clinical trials, authors of a systematic review concluded.

Where do I go for clinical or disease information?

Best Treatments
Information is researched from the British Medical Journal and displyed in an easy to understand format.

Patient UK
Designed by GPs and EMIS and is a useful source of Patient information Leaflets amongst other things.

Net Doctor
Attempts to break the language barrier between Doctors and patients regarding disease and illnesses.

QRisk
QRISK is a new calculator which works out your risk of getting heart disease. It has been developed by doctors and academics working in the UK National Health Service

Information on Healthier Living

BBC - Healthy Living
Simple, accurate advice from the BBC. Helps you to establish the dos & donts of living healthily.

lime Male Health
Fast, free independent information from the Men"s Health Forum.

Women’s Health Concern
Women"s Health Concern is a charitable organisation which aims to help educate and support women with their healthcare by providing unbiased, accurate information.

NHS Sites

NHS Constitution
The NHS Constitution was published on 21 January 2009. It was one of a number of recommendations in Lord Darzi’s report ‘High Quality Care for All’ which was published on the 60th anniversary of the NHS and set out a ten-year plan to provide the highest quality of care and service for patients in England

NHS Choices
Aiming to personalise healthcare and provide information that will ‘allow patients to make meaningful choices about when and where to receive their treatment.’

Charity Websites

Cancerhelp
Free information service provided by Cancer Research UK about cancer and cancer care for people with cancer and their families. Information is formatted in such a way that makes understanding the website an easy process

Cancer Backup

ribbons Europe's leading cancer information charity, with over 4,500 pages of up-to-date cancer information, practical advice and support for cancer patients, their families and carers.

Diabetes UK
largest charity in the UK devoted to the care and treatment of people with diabetes in order to improve the quality of life for people with the condition

Asthma UK

This website has been revamped to meet the needs of the thousands of people with asthma who visit the site each day, either to find important information about asthma and how to control it

Alzheimer’s Society

Comprehensive information for people with all forms of dementia.

Tips on evaluating the reliability of online medical information

Use sites from reputable organisations you have heard of.
Double check the information by looking for other sources.
Check there are contact details for any organisation or people responsible for the information not just an email address.
Look at the advertising - does it seem to unduly influence the site content?
All articles should quote references that you can look up.
Watch out for claims about the superiority of any particular treatment over another
Is this information supplied with a date to make sure it has not been superseded by other research.
Check the sites confidentiality policy.
Beware of sites claiming to be the definitive source.
Beware of sites that criticise others.