Services

Congratulations on your new arrival!

We know that those first weeks can be a whirlwind. Please register your baby as soon as you can with our practice. The sooner they are registered the sooner a GP can see your baby and help you in the new born period.

That why we offer a dedictaed 8 week check for you and your baby. This involves an appointment with the doctor and then with the practice nurse.

What to expect:

For Mum: We’ll check on your physical and emotional wellbeing, discuss any concerns, and offer support with contraception and family planning.

For baby: We’ll do a full physical exam, discuss feeing and sleeping and provide guidance on immunisations. We will also give your baby their 8 week vaccines, with your consent, and book in for further vaccines.

Once the baby is registered, the practice will contact you to make the 8 week check. On rare occasions were we are unaware of the birth, please feel free to call the practice on 0207 286 1231 to arrange an appointment.

You dont need to wait till 8 weeks to see a GP. If you have any concerns about your baby please book a face to face appointment with one of our doctors.

We hold clinics to diagnose and to help patients to manage their asthma or COPD.

We like to see all our patients who have been diagnosed with these conditions at least once a year, depending on the severity of your condition, we may invite you to come to the clinic more often in order to ensure we give you the care you require.

Our Asthma and COPD Clinics are held by our practice Pharmacists and Nurses during surgery opening hours. Please phone the surgery to make an appointment.

We have five Health Care Assistants who take blood tests at the practice five days a week. You can book these blood tests via calling reception on 0207 286 1231.

The blood tests need to be either requested by a GP, or you can receive a link from our practice team asking you to book into the blood test appointment directly. You can also request a blood test online.

If you cannot attend Monday to Friday, we have some blood tests available over the weekend at St Charles Hospital in Ladbroke Grove. To book these appointments please contact reception on 0207 286 1231.

Breast screening is offered to women aged 50 to 70 to detect early signs of breast cancer. Women over 70 can self-refer.

Anyone registered with a GP as female will automatically be invited for NHS breast screening every 3 years between the ages of 50 to 71. You will get a letter in the post inviting you.

If you are 71 or over you will not automatically be invited but you can still have breast screening every 3 years if you want to. You will need to call your local breast screening service to ask for an appointment.

Learn more about Breast Screenings

How do I contact the Breast Screening Service?

Visit the London Breast Screening website for further information and contact details

What happens at your appointment

NHS breast screening video: what happens during a mammogram

Information in other formats

• Breast screening: helping women decide in English and other languages
• Breast screening easy guide - information for people with learning disabilities, people with low levels of literacy and non-English speakers

The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme checks if you could have bowel cancer. The earlier cancer is found, the more effective treatment is likely to be.

Bowel screening is offered to everyone aged 54 to 74 years (50 to 74 by 2025) every 2 years.

If you’re 75 or over, you can ask for a kit every 2 years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60.

Learn more about Bowel Cancer Screenings

How to do a bowel screening test

If I have symptoms

Always see a GP if you have symptoms of bowel cancer at any age, even if you have recently completed an NHS bowel cancer screening test kit. Do not wait to have a screening test.

See symptoms of Bowel Cancer

Cervical screening, also known as a smear test, checks for abnormal (pre-cancerous) cells in the cervix to prevent cervical cancer. The cervix is the entrance to the womb from the vagina.

Women aged 25 to 49 should have cervical screening every three years. Women aged 50 to 64 should have it every five years, or more often if results show abnormal changes.

The screening is quick and painless and can be done at the Grand Union Health Centre.

Cervical screening does not test for cancer. Instead, it checks the health of the cervix cells. Most women will have normal results, but about 1 in 20 will show some abnormal changes.

Most of these changes won't lead to cervical cancer. Often, the cells may return to normal on their own. However, some abnormal cells need treatment to prevent them from becoming cancerous.

Our nurses are trained to perform cervical screening and cervical smears.

When you are due a smear test you will be invited in, via letter, email or SMS.

Please make an appointment when you are not menstruating, or day 1 to 4 of your cycle.

These appointments usually take about 15 minutes. For more information or to book an appointment, please call the surgery.

If you are aged over 24 and never had a smear test, or it has been more than 3 to 5 years since your last screening, please call 0207 286 1231 to make an appointment with our practice nurse.

Learn more about cervical screening

One of the most important things that a parent can do for their child is to make sure that they have all their routine chilldhood vaccinations. It is the most effective way of keeping them protected against infection diseases.

Ideally kids should have their vaccines at the right age to protect them as early as possible and minimise the risk of infection. We can not do vaccines earlier than they are due.

Our nursing team vaccinates all our children and they are skilled in this area.

If you have any questions or queries regarding vaccinations please do make a telephone appointment with one of them and they will happily discuss it with you.

Learn more about vaccinations on the NHS website

My child has been fully vaccinated in another country why do they need any more vaccinations?

Many of our patients have lived abroad. Vaccination schedules can vary between different countries. This is because patters of disease and the number of people who have it can vary from place to place so the level of risk if different depending on where you are.

This might sound complicated. Don't worry, we are here to help. When you register your child, we will need their vaccine history, and our highly experienced nurses will be able to tell you in your child will need additional catch up immunisations to them in line with the UK Schedule.

BCG vaccination

We dont do the BCG vaccine at Grand Union Health Centre. You will need to book via the following details:

• Phone Number: 0208 214 1380
• Email: vul.london.bcg@nhs.net

Vaccines For Risk Groups

People who fall into certain risk groups may be offered extra vaccines. These include vaccinations against diseases such as hepatitis B, tuberculosis (TB), seasonal flu and chickenpox. See the NHS Choices pages on vaccines for adults to find out whether you should have one.

Contraception is free for most people in the UK. With 15 methods to choose from, you'll find one that suits you.

Contraceptive methods allow you to choose when and if you want to have a baby, but they don’t protect you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Condoms help to protect against STIs and pregnancy, so whatever other method of contraception you're using to prevent pregnancy, use condoms as well to protect your and your partner’s health.

Learn more about getting contraception

At Grand Union Health Centre, we want to support you in managing your diabetes and living a healthy life.

Our Diabetes Service offers a wide range of care and support options tailored to your needs.

Learn more about what we offer

The NHS offers free flu and Covid vaccines to those at greater risk of serious illness.

Vaccines are our best protection against flu and Covid. Over the last few years, they have kept tens of thousands of people out of hospital and helped to save countless lives.

Who can get the vaccines?

The flu and Covid vaccinations are available to people who:

• are aged 65 or over
• have certain health conditions
• are pregnant
• live with someone who has a weakened immune system
• are a carer
• are a frontline health or social care worker
• live in a care home.

Most children can get the children's flu vaccine. This includes children aged 2 to 3 years, school-aged children (Reception to year 11) and children with certain health condition.

How to get the Covid vaccine

If you're eligible for the Covid vaccine, you can:

• Contact the Practice (to check for availability at our local Enhanced Access Hubs, St Charles and Violet Melchett)
• Book a vaccination appointment online
• Via the NHS App
• Calling 119
• Find a walk-in Covid vaccine service at some local pharmacies

How to get the flu vaccine

If you're eligible for an NHS flu vaccine, you can get your vaccine from:

• Your GP surgery
• A pharmacy that offers NHS flu vaccination (if you're aged 18 or over)
• Some maternity services (if you're pregnant)

You do not have to wait for an invitation before booking an appointment.

Get more information on your winter vaccines on the NHS website.

What we do

As your GP surgery we play a significant role in managing your long-term condition. We believe in working with you and specialists in the community to provide holistic, personal, and high-quality care.

Long term conditions or chronic diseases are conditions for which there is currently no cure, and that are managed with drugs and other treatments.

All patients with a long-term condition should have an annual review (or ‘health MOT’). The first part of this is with a health care assistant or a nurse. At this appointment we will take a blood sample, check your blood pressure, and update other health data.

A GP will review your results, looking at your medical history and medications, and consider how together we could improve your health/management of your LTC. This may include health advice, medication changes or referrals to a community service.

Your second contact with us will be to share and discuss the GP's recommendations with you. This appointment will also be with a healthcare assistant or a nurse. If you have more than one long term condition, we aim to make this second appointment with a nurse or GP.

Self referral

You can self refer yourself directly to the antenatal clinics at St Marys Hospital, Queen Charlottes Hospital, Chelses and Westminster Hospital and UCLH without seeing a GP or nurse.

Learn more about maternity self referral

Working together to improve your health

The NHS Health Check is a free check for those aged between 40 and 74 without any pre-existing conditions. We aim to invite all those who are eligible to have a NHS Health Check to book an appointment once every 5 years.

Everyone is at risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and some forms of dementia. The good news is that these conditions can often be prevented – even if you have a history of them in your family. Have your free NHS Health Check and you will be better prepared for the future and be able to take steps to maintain or improve your health.

Find out more about NHS Health Checks

We have a team of nurses who can help you with:

• Family Planning
• Asthma
• COPD
• Diabetes
• Baby Immunisations
• Wound management
• Travel Immunisations
• Smear Tests

If you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel you need to make an appointment with the practice nurse to discuss your travel arrangements.

Visit our Travel Information page to learn more

Warfarin is a drug which can prevent life threatening conditions. However, it can be dangerous if people taking it are not monitored regularly and advised which dose to take. Recent changes have been made to the way we prescribe it.

When a patient requests a prescription for warfarin, the doctor must check that the necessary monitoring has been carried out. We can no longer prescribe warfarin "as directed" and the specific dose must be stated on the prescription.

Nurse led Warfarin clinics

We run Health Care Assistant led warfarin clinics for patients who are already classed as being stable on the drug. The HCAs are supervised by a GP who leads this in the practice. Patients are booked in with the HCA at regular intervals and their blood levels are checked to ensure they can safely continue taking the blood thinning agents.