Clinics & Services
We provide a full general practice service and offer patients specialist advice and support in the following areas:
Asthma and COPD
Our respiratory nurse has had specialist training in asthma and COPD diagnosis and management. We recommend that you have an annual review with her; this will check that your medicines are still working for you and enable you to optimise the management of your condition. Asthma is best controlled by monitoring your own peak flows and we can prescribe you a peak flow meter if you don’t already have one.
Blood Pressure Checks
We can offer a wide range of advice and guidance regarding your Blood Pressure and managing it.
Child Health & Child Immunisations
All of our doctors and nurses are trained and skilled in looking after children’s health problems and are happy to see children in their surgeries. We also offer a 6/8 week baby check clinic which is usually run by either Dr Sunassee or Dr Gohar. At this appointment your baby will be fully examined by a GP and then vaccinated by one of our nurses, and you will have the opportunity to discuss any concerns you have about your baby’s health. You can then book the future appointment for your child immunisation schedule, which is up to the age of three and a half, and this can be a routine appointment with one of our nurses.
Contraception and Family Planning Advice
Contraception can be a very confusing subject, but hopefully our expert nurses and GPs will help make it simple for you. We offer the full range of contraception in house, pills, injections, implants and coils.
For further advise and support with sexual health and contraception please visit: SH:24
Counselling
Counselling may be useful to try and help you deal with things. We have an in house counselling service but there is a significant wait for this as there are only so many sessions that are funded by the CCG.
Diabetes Care
Our diabetic clinic takes place on a Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for patients to have their annual check. This includes an assessment by our skilled nurses and GP’s to ensure a fully comprehensive review. We also actively screen for those who are at risk of developing diabetes in the future, by means of blood tests.
Exercise and Weight Management
We can offer a wide range of advice and guidance for Weight management and exercising. Why you should try exercising for half an hour a day.
Maternity Care
As soon as you think you may be pregnant ring the surgery and ask for a phone consultation with a GP. Ideally this needs to be before 10 weeks. They will arrange all the necessary paperwork for you and talk you through the important information you need to know about your antenatal care.
We refer to to following hospitals:
- Watford General Hospital
- Luton & Dunstable Hospital
- Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Minor Surgery
If you require Minor Surgery this may be able to be carried out in the Practice and subject to certain criteria covered by the NHS. To discuss this please make an appointment with a GP. We regret that we cannot do any minor surgery for cosmetic purposes.
Palliative Care
This involves ensuring that a patient with a terminal illness receives a multi-disciplinary approach to ensure they get the very best of care. The practice works very closely with the Rennie Grove nurses, the heart failure nurses, the community respiratory nurses and the district nurses. Where ever possible we try and ensure a patient can be cared for at home (if that is their wish) but we also have access to the local hospices where required.
First Contact Physiotherapist FCP Specialist MSK Physiotherapy Service
Physiotherapy, Pain Management and Herts Valleys Integrated Musculoskeletal Service (MSK) are provided by Connect Health and First Contact.
Low back and neck pain are the greatest cause of years lost to disability in the UK, with chronic joint pain or osteoarthritis affecting more than 8.75 million people. In addition, musculoskeletal conditions also account for 30% of all GP appointments.
These clinics support patients with conditions related to bones, soft tissues, muscles, joint and ligaments. They also help with other issues such as chronic pain, fatigue and postural stability. They can assess, diagnose and treat patients. Physiotherapist and MSK pain management clinics are run at at Parkwood surgery.
A typical FCP appointment involves assessment, diagnosis and first-line management. FCPs can also refer patients for a course of physiotherapy treatment, order investigations or make referrals into secondary care services using the same pathways as GPs. Some FCPs are also able to independently prescribe and provide injection therapy.
As a person-centred service, most appointments include self-management advice, social prescribing, and discussions about physical activity and fitness for work.
Screening
We undertake to following screening:
NHS Health Checks, Cervical Smears, Breast Screening, PSA Testing, Bowel Screening and Aortic Aneurysm Screening. We do offer Sexual Health advise and limited screening however these clinics are currently very limited, you can visit SH:24 for advice, support, tests and medications.
Stop Smoking Cessation
We are keen to help patients stop smoking. It can be very difficult to give up without any support so we have 2 members of staff trained specifically to be able to help you quit. Sessions are run during our extended clinics on a Monday night and alternate Saturdays. You will have ongoing support as well as regular checks to give you the best chance to stop smoking.
Travel Advice
We provide vaccinations for Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Tetanus/Diphtheria/Polio, Hepatitis B, Meningitis ACWY, Yellow Fever, and Rabies although some these are chargeable. For the latest fees please see Fees for Non NHS Services . We can also advise if Malaria medication is required for your travel destination. We currently do not offer Japanese Encephalitis or the BCG vaccination.
Phlebotomy/Blood clinics
At Parkwood surgery we only have a blood clinic for those patients who cannot attend the hospital due to mobility or frailty. Please attend the phlebotomy clinic at Hemel Hempstead General Hospital for your blood tests.
Please see the link below for location and opening times:
HHGH Phlebotomy Location and Opening Times 4.21
West Herts Paediatric Blood Tests
Please note that the Safari Day Unit (WGH) is no longer providing blood tests.
For Paediatric blood tests, please contact the services below:
- At Watford – under 5s: Peace Children’s Centre, Monday-Friday – 9 .00 am – 4.30 pm (Tel: 01923 470 600)
- At Watford – over 5s: WGH Phlebotomy walk-in service – 7.30 am – 1.00 pm.
- At Hemel Hempstead: by appointment only Tuesdays & Thursdays 1.30pm to 3.00pm (Tel 01442 287803)
- St Albans City Hospital: by appointment only on Tuesdays and Thursdays – 1.30 pm to 3.00 (Tel 01727 897 375)
