Protect yourself from flu.

What is Flu?

Flu occurs every year, usually in the winter, which is why it is sometimes called seasonal flu. It is a very infectious disease that can come on very quickly. The most common symptoms of flu are fever, chills, cough, headache, pains in your joints and muscles and extreme tiredness. Healthy people usually recover within 3 to 4 weeks, but some people can develop serious life-threatening complications and need to be admitted to hospital.

Colds are much less serious and usually start with a stuffy or a runny nose, sore throat and cough.

How do we prevent the spread of flu?

Flu is unpredictable and there can be different strains of the virus. However, over the last ten years, the flu vaccine has generally been very good at targeting the circulating strains.
The flu vaccine is available every year on the NHS to help protect adults and children who are most at risk of flu and its complications.

Can I have a free flu vaccination on the NHS?

Flu can affect anyone but if you have a long-term health condition flu can make it worse, even if the condition is well managed and you normally feel well.

We provide flu vaccines if you are:

• aged 65 or over,
• pregnant,
• aged 2, 3 or 4 (by nasal spray),
• over six months of age and have one of the following conditions:
  • chronic respiratory disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis and cystic fibrosis. Also, people with severe asthma who need to continuously or repeatedly use their inhaler, take steroid medication, or who have been admitted to hospital because of their asthma
  • chronic heart disease, including heart failure, congenital heart disease, and heart disease caused by high blood pressure
  • chronic kidney disease, such as kidney failure and people who have had a kidney transplant,
  • chronic liver disease, such as cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis,
  • chronic neurological diseases, such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, motor neurone disease or multiple sclerosis,
  • diabetes
  • a suppressed immune system, due to disease or treatment. This includes people who have a damaged or no spleen, those people with HIV, people having chemotherapy or other immunosuppressant treatment, and those on high doses of steroid medication.
• very overweight with a BMI over 40.
• living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility (not including prisons, young offender institutions or university halls of residence),
• receive carer’s allowance or you are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill,

For more information please see the Department of Health Website.

Flu Clinic

Every autumn, around October, we start our flu clinics. We aim to vaccinate as many of those at risk, as indicated above.

Please telephone reception to make an appointment.
Keep an eye out under the news section of this website for when the clinics start.

Health Visitors

Health Visitors are all trained nurses who have extra training and qualifications in child health. They are a fantastic source of information about child development and health, parenting strategies, breastfeeding, nutrition and community support. They also offer help with social, emotional and environmental issues that affect families.

The Health Visitors for this Practice are based at Yeadon Health Centre and can be contacted on 0113 8435400.

Click here to access the Health Visitor’s service website.

Child Health Checks

Please book an appointment with your GP for your first Health Check when your baby is around 6 weeks old.

You will also be offered routine health reviews for your child, with your health visitor, at 6-8 weeks, 8-12 months and 2-2½ years old.

Child Immunisations

Immunisations are given by our Practice Nurses in accordance with the NHS vaccine schedule.

Further information on the schedule and vaccines in general can be found on NHS choices vaccinations.

Immunisation Schedule

Age at vaccination	Vaccine
2 months	Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (DTaP/IPV/Hib) – one injectionPneumococcal infection (Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PCV) – one injectionRotavirus vaccine – by mouthMeningitis B (Men B) vaccine – one injection
3 months	Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (DTaP/IPV/Hib) – second doseMeningitis C (meningococcal group C) (Men C) – one injectionRotavirus vaccine – second dose
4 months	Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (DTaP/IPV/Hib) – third dosePneumococcal infection (Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PCV) – second doseMeningitis B (Men B) vaccine – second dose
12 to 13 months	Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) and meningitis C (Men C) – one injectionMeasles, mumps and rubella (German measles) (MMR) – one injectionPneumococcal infection (Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PCV) – third doseMeningitis B (Men B) vaccine – third dose
3 years and 4 months	Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) and polio (DTaP/IPV) – One injectionMeasles, mumps and rubella (MMR) – second dose
Girls aged 12 to 13 years	Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) – two injections given between six months and two years apart
13 to 18 years	Diphtheria, tetanus, polio (Td/IPV) – one injectionMen ACWY vaccine – one injection
19 to 25 years (first time students only)	Men ACWY vaccine

Giving up smoking is always beneficial to your health.

Stopping smoking increases your life expectancy and helps improve your quality of life, not to mention making you wealthier as well!

It is never too late to stop and the NHS is here to help you.

Getting NHS support really works – it can be four times more successful than going it alone and it’s completely free of charge. So why not try it? You have nothing to lose.

One You Leeds – Be Smoke Free

This is the service we recommend to our patients.   Please see the website below for further information:

www.oneyouleeds.co.uk/be-smoke-free/

Further information

Electronic cigarettes

E cigarettes are marketed as a cheaper, safer alternative to conventional cigarettes. As they do not produce smoke, research suggests that electronic cigarettes are relatively harmless in comparison with smoking. To find out more have a look at the ASH Briefing on electronic cigarettes.

Local smoke free stories

In need of inspiration? Then why not listen to some people who have been successful at giving up – today is the day.

Do you need to lose weight? There are a number of online resources and local clinics that you can access without having to see your doctor for a referral.

Not sure if you need to lose weight then try out this weight calculating tool.

Online help

Advice for adults:

• NHS Choices weight loss guide is an excellent guide with suggestions on a 12 week plan. It also has email support.
• One You Leeds provides some general advice and links to services locally.

Advice for children:

• NHS Choices excellent guide on what to do if my child is overweight.

Face to face support

Support for adults:

• Weigh Ahead Weight Management Service is the free NHS service that our Nurses and Doctors will refer you to if you need additional support. You can self refer to this service.
• There are also private services (that you would need to pay for) such as Weight Watchers and Slimming World who both provide popular classes locally.

Support for children:

• There is a dedicated service for children called Watch It, the details of which are at the bottom of the weigh ahead page. You can self refer to this service.

We work closely with other services to help support people and their families at this very difficult time.

The local service

Together as a team we work with individuals and their families to address physical, emotional, social, spiritual and financial issues.

The core team includes a GP, District Nurse and MacMillan Nurse.

Please book with your GP if you or someone you care for needs help now.

Advice

The Sue Ryder website has some excellent articles called Practical & Emotional Advice, we recommend them highly. Don’t forget to click on the ‘load more’ button on the bottom of the first page, its easy to miss.

Other useful sites

NHS choices page on end of life care.

Also Leeds Palliative Care has a wealth of information on local services.

Wheatfields hospice

St Gemma’s hospice

There are a lot of services available to support people with mental health issues.

All our doctors are trained to help people suffering from mental health problems. Making an appointment is a good place to start if you are looking for help.

There are also lots of other services locally that are there to support you, many of whom you can refer yourself to.

Services for adults

• If you are aged 17 or older then a good place to start is the Mindwell website. It is designed to help you understand the common problems that people face and the range of services here to help. It also offers help to those who are worried about others.
• You might have heard your GP or friend talk about IAPT. This is a range of services that we commonly refer our patients to when they have problems with mental health. Here is a list of what IAPT offer, you can also refer yourself to this service from their website.

Services for children

If you are aged 16 or under, then a good place to start is the MindMate website.

MindMate is specifically aimed at young people and can help you understand the way you are feeling and find the right advice and support. It also offers advice for parents.

Feeling suicidal

If we are open, then please call now to book an urgent same day appointment with one of our doctors.

If we are not open, or you would prefer to get help elsewhere, then please click one of the links below:

I am 17 and older and need help now

I am 16 or younger and need urgent help

The NHS health check is a free health check-up for adults in England aged 40-74.

You can find more information by following the below link:

NHS Health Check – NHS

It aims to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and dementia because as we get older our risk of developing one of these conditions increases.

If you would like to book an NHS health check please contact reception to make an appointment.

The appointment will only take around 20 minutes and the clinician will ask you some simple questions about your lifestyle and family history, measure your height and weight, take your blood pressure and do a blood test.

You will then receive personalised advice to help lower your risk. This could include:

• How to improve your diet and the amount of physical activity you do
• How to lose weight or stop smoking

If a particular problem is found, such has high blood pressure, then we will make an appointment for you to see a doctor.

The practice offers a full range of contraception services including coil fitting and referral for vasectomy

Choice of contraception

Deciding which method of contraception would be most suitable for you can be difficult so please take some time to review the information available via the NHS website:

Methods of contraception – NHS

Who to book an appointment with

You can book an appointment with any GP to discuss your contraception options.  All GPs can prescribe pills, rings, patches and injections.

We also have Doctors trained to fit the intrauterine device and system (coil) and the implant.  

Sexually transmitted disease

The Practice does not offer testing for sexually transmitted diseases. However patients can self refer to Leeds Sexual Health for these services.

Pill check

If you take an oral contraceptive you can book an appointment with a Doctor or a Practice Nurse for your Pill check.

Screening is a way of finding diseases and problems at an earlier stage in apparently healthy people when treatment will be more successful. The following screening services are offered as part of the NHS.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening is a way of detecting a dangerous swelling (aneurysm) of the aorta – the main blood vessel that runs from the heart, down through the abdomen to the rest of the body. This swelling is far more common in men aged over 65 than it is in women and younger men, so all men are invited for screening in the year they turn 65.

An AAA usually causes no symptoms, but if it bursts, it’s extremely dangerous and usually fatal. Around 8 out of 10 people with a ruptured AAA either die before they reach hospital or don’t survive surgery.

Screening involves a simple ultrasound scan of your stomach (abdomen), which takes about 10-15 minutes.

If you have been invited and lost the details, please contact Tel: 0113 3923740 or Email: leedsth-tr.AAAScreening@nhs.net

Bowel cancer screening programme

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. Screening is offered every two years to all men and women aged 60 to 74 who are most at risk.  A home testing kit that is posted out to you. Please complete and return your testing kit which could save your life as it gives us the chance to detect the disease in its early stages.

Breast cancer screening programme

Breast cancer screening is offered to all women aged 50 – 70 to detect early signs of breast cancer. Women aged over 70 can make their own screening appointments by contacting the Leeds breast screening service on 0113 206 3816.

Breast cancer screening uses an X-ray test called a mammogram that can spot cancers when they are too small to feel. If breast cancer is discovered in its early stages, there is a very good chance of recovery.

Women who notice any breast symptoms or changes should make an appointment to see a GP immediately.

Cervical cancer screening programme

Cervical screening is available to all women aged 25 to 64.

If you are registered at the practice you should automatically receive an invitation by post every three years for women aged 25 – 49 and every five years for women aged 50 – 64. You simply need to contact the practice and make an appointment to see a Nurse.

It is very important that you make these appointments, as early detection and treatment of abnormal cells can prevent cervical cancer.

If any concerns have been raised in the past, you may be invited for more frequent checks.

Useful external links

• Abdominal aneurysm screening on NHS choices 
• Bowel cancer screening on NHS choices 
• Breast cancer screening on NHS choices 
• Cervical cancer screening on NHS choices