We try to review long- term medical conditions and medication a minimum of annually. We aim to do this in the month of your birthday as it’s easy for us all to remember.
We will write to you or contact you approximately 8 weeks prior to your birthday so you can start organising your check-up.
This will involve seeing the practice nurse and you may also need to have blood test or blood pressure check depending on your health conditions and medication. It is better if you have your blood test before you see the nurse and check your blood pressure readings if possible.
If you have a blood pressure machine at home please do morning and evening reading (2 readings 1 minute apart) for 7 days and bring these readings to your appointment.
You can download this Home Blood Pressure Reading Chart to record your results.
If you have one or more of the following conditions you will need to have a blood test before your appointment:
| Diabetes | Chronic Kidney Disease |
| Heart Disease | Heart Failure |
| High Blood pressure | Peripheral Artery Disease |
| Stroke/ TIA | Rheumatoid Arthritis |
If you have other long term health problems or are taking regular tablets please speak to the receptionist when you make your appointment as you may need blood tests for these as well; our receptionist will be able to organise for you to get the necessary blood test form.
There are many medicines we prescribe that require regular blood monitoring and it is essential that you have these when asked, in order to enable us to continue to prescribe them safely and without undue delay.
If you forget to organise your check up on receipt of your initial contact from us we will try to remind you again.
Occasionally some patients wish to opt out of having their clinical review. We would strongly advise you not to do this. However if you decide to do this then you should speak to the receptionist and let her know so we can remove your details from our invitation list.
Even if you opt out of seeing the nurse, we will still require you to have regular monitoring of your blood if you are on certain medications. This is because with some types of medication we cannot ensure your safety unless you have your blood checked. We will not be able to routinely authorise your medication if we do not have the required up to date blood tests.
What you need to do now
- Ring the surgery and make an appointment for you clinical review with the nurse.
- Organise with the receptionist a blood test if you have one of the above conditions.
- Ask the receptionist if you need a blood test due to the medication you are taking.
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you soon.