Reviewing your medicines

If you are taking medicines over the long term, you should be seen for a review at least once a year. The clinical pharmacist can review all your medicines, discuss how they are working for you and carry out health checks, such as taking your blood pressure. They can also arrange for you to have blood or other tests.

After a stay in hospital If your medicines have ben changed whilst you are in hospital, the clinical pharmacist can explain these changes and ensure you get the maximum benefit from these medicines. We hope that you will find this new service will complement and improve the care you already receive, but please be assured that a doctor’s appointment will always be available should you prefer.

Telephone 0191 2755740

Thornfield Medical Group

Molineux Street NHS Centre

Byker

NE6 1SG

Telephone: 0191 2755740

Thornfield Medical

Group

Patient Information Leaf-

let

about the roles of the

Advanced Nurse

Practitioners and

Clinical Pharmacists

employed by Thornfield

Medical Group

Nurse Practitioners are trained specialist nurses who have undertaken additional education in order to provide advanced nursing care and they are able to prescribe medicines. Nurse Practitioners can provide treatment and advice for many problems for which you may have seen a doctor for in the past. Their main areas of expertise are in the management of common minor illnesses and long term conditions.

Appointments

Same day Nurse Pract i t ioner appointments are available every weekday for common illnesses. Routine appointments are also available if you prefer to book in advance. The Nurse Practitioner can assess and examine you, make a diagnosis and provide advice and treatment including a prescription if required. They can make referrals to hospital doctors or other health care professionals, and admit patients into hospital when necessary. Unfortunately, they are unable legally to sign a sick certificate, so you will need to see your own GP for this. They work closely with your GP and liaise frequently with her/him about your care.

Patients with a long term condition are either seen annually or as guided by their own care plan. Some patients, often those with complex and long-standing medical problems, may need an appointment with a doctor. The Nurse Practitioner is usually able to assess the situation and in some cases will arrange initial blood tests and other investigations prior to arranging a follow up appointment with your GP. Small children under 2 will always need to be seen by a doctor

Clinical Pharmacists are experts that can help you when you need expert advice regarding medicines. Some examples when they can help you are:

Long term Conditions If you have a condition such as asthma, type 2 diabetes, arthritis or high blood pressure then the clinical pharmacist can discuss the medicines you are taking to ensure they are working for you. They can also help you with your lifestyle changes to help manage your condition.

Experiencing Side Effects If you are experiencing side effects from your medicines you can discuss this with the clinical pharmacist and work together to find a solution , such as changing your medicine or the dosage.

See the Nurse Practitioner for the following :

Wounds, scalds, burns, rashes Acute back pain, joint sprains Oral thrush Acute chest infection, flare of asthma Dizziness, giddiness, unusual headache Conjunctivitis, sticky discharging eye, sty - if pharmacy advice isn’t helping Diarrhoea, constipation, piles, indigestion and vomiting Urinary tract infections, cystitis Sexual health and contraception advice Period pain Vaginal infections, lumps or discharge Tonsillitis, earache, cough, swollen glands, sinusitis, sore throat, colds and flu-like illnesses, raised temperature that show no improvement after one week of pharmacists’ advice and home treatment. NB. a cough may persist for up to three or four weeks after other cold/flu symptoms have gone.

Routine appointments

Nurse Practitioners and our Clinical Pharmacists also manage many long-term conditions such as Asthma, Eczema, High blood pressure, Coronary heart disease, Raised cholesterol levels, Thyroid medication review Gout prevention Diabetes, Epilepsy COPD Weight loss prescription management