Riverside Health Centre – Which Clinic?

Below is a guide to help you decide which clinic to book into.

The list doesn’t cover every situation, so if you are still not sure which clinic to ask for, please talk to the receptionist, who will be able to help.

Doctors’ Appointments

Doctors’ appointments are for immediate medical problems and medical reviews. The reviews may be for medication or following a previous consultation with any of the GPs or other health professional. We ask that for continuity you do not switch between clinicians relating to the same problem.

Nurse Appointments

Nurse appointments are for dressings, injections and cervical smears. It is also appropriate to see them for contraceptive pill and HRT checks, asthma and COPD reviews and diabetic reviews.

Provided you meet our criteria of single destination countries with at least 8 weeks notice prior to travel, they also are responsible for organising travel vaccinations which are available on the NHS.  Please complete a Travel Health Form and one of the nurses will contact you. If you require malaria medication, you will need to see the doctor for this specifically.

Nurse Practitioner

Mr John Buckley is our nurse practitioner – he is able to prescribe, refer and consults patients of all ages. Prior to joining our practice he was an experienced Community Matron with extensive experience of the locality. He works in collaboration with the GPs and is able to diagnose and treat acute illnesses and infections.

Baby Clinic

Baby Clinic runs every Wednesday and Friday from 13:30 to 15:00 (by appointment only) and is for all childhood immunisations, baby and pre-school checks and mother’s post-natal checks for mums. It is staffed by a doctor and a nurse. Please note that first baby immunisations are administered after the baby is 8 weeks and we combine this appointment with the mothers post-natal check.

For the purposes of clarifying parental consent, we also request sight of the child’s birth certificate.

Midwife

The midwife is here from 14:00 to 16:00 on a Thursday. This is the clinic for all ante-natal care, where the choice of delivery is at home or Colchester Hospital.

All pregnancies need to be registered with Colchester Hospital. When your pregnancy has been registered, you will be contacted by the midwife regarding booking.

If you intend to deliver at Ipswich Hospital you will need a referral from the GP.

Phlebotomy (blood taking)

Our Phlebotomy clinics run from 08:00 to 11:00. Our samples are collected by hospital couriers at agreed times, so any specimens destined for the laboratory need to be with us by midday. We are happy to do all blood tests here, whether ordered by our doctors and nurses or by hospital consultants.

We are unable to take a blood sample without the accompanying paperwork, normally provided by the clinician or consultant.

Minor Surgery

The Minor Surgery clinic runs on alternate Thursdays between 13:30 to 14:30. This is not directly bookable, and you will be advised by one of the Doctors whether you are eligible for minor surgical procedures on the NHS.

Smear Tests

Smear clinics are now available via Extended Access at Rowhedge Medical practice, 7 Rectory Road, Rowhedge, Colchester CO5 7HP, on a Saturday morning, by appointment.

Please call the surgery to arrange an appointment if you are unable to make an appointment at your convenience, at Riverside Health Centre.

GP Care Advisor

You can ask any of our staff to make referrals to the GP Care advisor service:

The role of the GPCA is to facilitate people to access social care, welfare benefits and self-help support to help them maintain their independence at home.

Care Advisors are there to help you. Among their key roles are:

• To listen to patients, carers and their families.
• To provide advice, support, information and assistance in obtaining services from other agencies and where appropriate, make initial contact on the patients behalf.
• Provide assistance in particular to carers of patients with dementia.
• To help with the completion of welfare benefit claims forms.
• To provide assessment of needs for Telecare equipment and services in the patients home.