Clinics and services

Halcyon Medical Centre
67-69 High Street
Birmingham
B4 7TA
Tel: 0845 072 4632

News:

PRACTICE EMERGENCY CLOSURE

The practice will not be open on 9th June 2010 due to a major flood of the premises. There will be staff available to see emergency patients only. All routine appointments are cancelled. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Please call the surgery for further information.

Swine Flu

See the Health Information page for the latest information about swine flu.

Cancelling your Appointment

If you are unable to attend an appointment with one of the doctors or nurses, please telephone or use the link at the bottom of this page to cancel your appointment.

By giving us as much notice as you can you are helping us to make sure that someone else is given your slot.

When the practice is closed

If you need urgent help or advice there is always a doctor on-call. Telephone the Surgery number and you will be told the number to call for help. Have a pencil and paper ready to write down the number and enough coins to make another call if you are phoning from a call box.

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

More obesity ops 'will save cash'

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

Statins 'may cut arthritis risk'

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

Call for morning sickness action

More needs to be done to establish which are safe and effective ways to relieve morning sickness, experts say.

UK radiotherapy 'lagging behind'

Too few UK cancer patients are receiving state-of-the-art radiotherapy care, experts from Cancer Research UK say.

ME 'virus link' found in children

ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, in children could be caused by a virus, scientists say.

Gaps persist in cancer survival

Despite significant improvements in cancer survival rates across England, regional differences remain, national statistics show.

'Genetic link' to breast cancer

Researchers have identified a series of genetic variations which may play a role in a common breast cancer.

Bipolar 'not linked to violence'

People with a mental illness are no more likely to be violent unless they abuse drugs or alcohol, a study suggests.

NHS in Wales faces £380m cutbacks

The Welsh NHS faces making £380m worth of cutbacks by April, with managers saying it is the biggest challenge they have faced in 20 years.

Diabetes drug advice 'not heeded'

A type two diabetes drug is still being prescribed in the UK two months after it was recommended for withdrawal, BBC Panorama learns.

Yahoo Health

US smoking rate still stuck at 1 in 5 adults (AP)

AP - U.S. smoking rates continue to hold steady, at about one in five adults lighting up regularly, frustrated health officials reported Tuesday.

FDA cites claims on 2 green tea beverages (AP)

AP - Federal health regulators have issued warnings to the makers of Canada Dry ginger ale and Lipton tea for making unsubstantiated nutritional claims about their green tea-flavored beverages.

FDA relents from midodrine withdrawal plan (AP)

AP - Federal regulators have backed off a plan to remove a Shire PLC low blood-pressure treatment from the market after warning in August that the drug has not been proven effective.

Judge won't let stem cell money keep flowing (AP)

AP - A federal judge on Tuesday refused to lift his order blocking federal funding for some stem cell research, saying that a "parade of horribles" predicted by federal officials would not happen.

Japan confirms its first case of new superbug gene (AP)

AP - Japan has confirmed the nation's first case of a new gene in bacteria that allows the microorganisms to become drug-resistant superbugs, detected in a man who had medical treatment in India, a Health Ministry official said Tuesday.

Picking right blood pressure medicine challenging (AP)

AP - It's hard to predict which pills will best lower which patient's high blood pressure, but researchers are hunting ways to better personalize therapy — perhaps even using a blood test.

Lack of Sleep May Be Linked to Childhood Obesity (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Infants and preschoolers who don't get enough sleep at night are at increased risk for later childhood obesity, a new study suggests.

For Bonobo Males, Mom Is the Best Wingman (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - To most human males, the thought of your mother anywhere near your sex life is probably horrifying. Not so for the bonobo, one of our closest primate relatives. A new study confirms that hanging out with mom boosts male bonobos' chances of getting intimate with a fertile female.

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 7, 2010 (HealthDay)

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

Autistic Toddlers Prefer to Gaze at Geometric Patterns: Study (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- When given the choice to gaze at geometric patterns or children dancing and playing, toddlers with autism spent more time looking at the patterns while typically developing toddlers preferred to look at other kids, a new study finds.

MedPage Today

Judge Won't Lift Block on Stem Cell Research Funding

(MedPage Today) -- Federal spending of embryonic stem cell (ESC) research will remain off-limits for now, a federal judge ruled, dealing yet another blow to the Obama administration's efforts to support such research.

Cigarette Smoke May Affect Fertility (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Smoking may provide an explanation for reduced fertility, results of two studies suggested.

Adult Smoking Hits Plateau

(MedPage Today) -- One in five U.S. adults continues to smoke tobacco -- a percentage that hasn't budged since 2005 -- suggesting that more aggressive efforts are needed to reduce smoking-related diseases and deaths, the CDC said.

Pandemic H1N1 Similar to Seasonal Strains (CME/CE, with video)

(MedPage Today) -- In general, the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus did not cause more serious disease than other recent influenza A strains, researchers found.

Nevirapine Reuse Possible in Exposed Children With HIV (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- In most HIV-infected children being exposed at birth to nevirapine (Viramune) doesn't rule out using the drug again later, researchers reported.

PCV-7 Vaccine May Promote Serotype 19A Infection (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Infants receiving a three-dose regimen of heptavalent PCV-7 pneumococcal vaccine were more likely than unvaccinated controls to pick up a nonvaccine pneumococcal strain associated with invasive infection and antibiotic resistance, researchers said.

More Human Trials Needed for HIV Vaccine Hunt

(MedPage Today) -- HIV vaccine researchers are calling for more and better human trials as part of the quest for ways to block transmission of the virus.

Patients Expect More from PCI than It Delivers (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Cardiologists fully understand the limits of percutaneous coronary interventions -- but their patients are often overly optimistic about the benefits of PCI, a new survey revealed.

Splint Matches Cast for Kids' Wrist Fractures (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- In children with wrist fractures, a splint works as well as a cast, researchers reported.

Behcet's Takes Higher Toll in Men (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Men with Behçet's disease are much more likely than women to die of this chronic multisystem vasculitis, a large French study found.

Clinics

Travel Clinic

Other Services

University Services

Non-NHS Services

Clinics

Satellite Clinic

G17 Main Building, Aston University
Monday – Friday 10.30 – 3.00pm

inhaler2 Satellite Clinic is available without an appointment for sexual health screening, dressings, removal of sutures, ear syringing, asthma check, diabetic check and smears.

The nurses can deal with minor ailments such as tonsillitis, chest infections, cystitis, flu, minor sports injuries, asthma, diabetic monitoring and contraceptive advice.

Antenatal Care

pregnant11 Appointments for antenatal care are made during normal surgery hours. The doctor will advise you when to attend.

Baby/Child Vaccinations, Baby Clinics And Child Health

It is strongly advised that our youngest patients are kept up to date with their immunisations. Please make appointments at reception. We do not offer child health surveillance and baby clinics at this practice. However, we can make appointments on your behalf with another practice who can carry out this service.

Adult Immunisations And Travel Vaccinations

Adult immunisations include influenza immunisation for those patients aged 65 and over and other at risk patients, e.g. those patients diagnosed with asthma or diabetes.

We also offer travel vaccinations - see the Travel Clinic tab for details.

Vision Services

The Department of Vision Sciences houses an Optometry Clinic which is open to staff and students of the University and the general public.

Counselling Service

The University Counselling Service, situated in room G16 in the main building Aston University, offers help to students on a wide range of issues. Counselling sessions are confidential and are not recorded on your medical records.

Our clinic is accessible to both students and non-registered patients offering travel advice and vaccinations. You will have to pay for certain travel vaccines e.g. Rabies, Japanese Encephalitis and Meningitis. Hepatitis A are chargeable for certain countries. Please enquire at reception for further details.

If you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel you need to make an appointment with the practice nurse to discuss your travel arrangements. This will include which countries and areas within countries that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required. There is further information about countries and vaccinations required on the links below

Europe & Russia	North America
Central America	South America
Carribean	Africa
Middle East	Central Asia
East Asia	Australasia and Pacific

It is important to make this initial appointment as early as possible - at least 6 weeks before you travel - as a second appointment will be required with the practice nurse to actually receive the vaccinations. These vaccines have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine. Your second appointment needs to be at least 2 weeks before you travel to allow the vaccines to work.

Most travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge. This is because travel vaccination is not included in the services provided by the NHS and therefore is a chargeable service.

Travel Health Questionnaire

To help us offer the appropriate advice, please fill out the online form before coming to see the nurse.

clock2 Travel Questionnaire

Medical Notes for Academic Departments

Medical notes should be requested from a doctor at the time of illness/incident and handed to the Senior Tutor/Head of Department. Notes will be categorised by the doctor to indicate the extent which they believe academic performance would have been affected.

Sexual Health / Contraception

Most accidents are caused by humans and most humans are caused by accident! If you need advice about sexual health issues or contraception please come for a chat with a nurse or doctor.

All contraception is free on prescription. Condoms are free from the surgery. If you have unprotected sex, you may be exposing yourself to sexually transmitted infections, not to mention pregnancy. Always use a condom! The practice also offers IUCD fittings, depo provera injections, Implanon (contraceptive implants) and the oral contraceptive pill.

Emergency contraception is available from the surgery, Brook Advisory Centre and at the Birmingham NHS walk-in centre situated on the lower ground floor of Boots The Chemist. It has to be taken within the first 72 hours of unprotected sex. If taken within the first 24 hours it will prevent 95% of expected pregnancies.

General Services

Minor Injury Service
Wound Management Service
Phlebotomy
Smoking Cessation Clinic
Cervical Cytology
Regular reviews and follow up for patients diagnosed with the following: asthma, diabetes, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), CHD (Chronic Heart Disease), stroke, hypertension (high blood pressure), epilepsy, hypothyroid (underactive thyroid gland), mental health problems and cancer

Claim Forms

Forms for exemption from payment for prescriptions, milk and vitamins etc, are available from reception, as well as useful health information leaflets.

Other University Services

Aston University offer a wide range of services for their students as follows:

Student support services

Careers Service - 0121 204 4757 | careers@aston.ac.uk

Chaplaincy - 0121 204 4276 | chaplaincy@aston.ac.uk

Counselling - 0121 204 4711 | counselling@aston.ac.uk

Disability and Additional Needs - 0121 204 4711 | danu@aston.ac.uk

Financial Assistance Unit - 0121 204 4711 | fau@aston.ac.uk

Graduate Advantage - 0121 204 4767 | enquiries@graduateadvantage.co.uk

International Office - 0121 204 4888 | international@aston.ac.uk

International Student Support Unit - 0121 204 4888 | international@aston.ac.uk

Learning Development Centre - 0121 204 3040 | ldc@aston.ac.uk

Library & Information Services - 0121 204 4525 | library@aston.ac.uk

Residential Services - accom@aston.ac.uk

Sport & Recreation - 0121 204 4623 | sportsenquiries@aston.ac.uk

Student Credit Control (Finance) - 0121 204 4355

Students’ Guild (Student’s Union) - 0121 204 4855 | guild.communications@aston.ac.uk

The doctors carry out a variety of non-NHS medical examinations e.g. pre-employment, insurance, sports fitness, ‘year out’, Camp America.

There is a charge payable for some of these examinations and you should ask at reception when you book an appointment.

Practice Information

For quick medical advice online or on the telephone contact NHS Direct