The NHS Inform website offers a lot of information about how GP Practices are operating, why practices are signposting and gives information on other services available. To access this guidance please click here.
When you call to book an appointment at the Surgery the reception team will ask about the nature of your call. The GP Partners have requested they do this so that your problem can be directed to the most appropriate health care professional. This allows you to be seen by the most appropriate person for your needs and in most cases will allow you be seen quicker. It is important to note you may be directed to someone other than your GP. A GP is not always the best person to advise you on certain medical matters. Other health professionals such as pharmacists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, opticians, dentists and specialist nurses can give advice and treatment.
The following list provides some useful examples of who else may be able to help with certain issues:
Practice Nurse/Health Care Assistant
Blood pressure checks, bloods, asthma reviews, smears, minor injuries, management of hypertension, COPD, diabetes, contraception advice. Our Practice Nurse can dispense prescriptions for certain conditions and minor ailments.
Physiotherapist
We have a First Contact Physiotherapists (FCP) attached to the Practice who will consult with patients. Our FCP can assess and diagnose patients with muscle and joint problems associated with conditions of the spine, arms, hands and legs.
Examples of conditions they can advise on include:
- Osteoarthritis
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Low back & hip pain
- Sciatica
- Wrist & hand pain
- Knee & ankle pain
- Ligament & muscle injuries
- Tendon issues
To book an appointment with our FCP, please call our reception team. Consultations are 30 minutes long. During the appointment they will take a detailed history of your condition and will use the information provided to create a management plan specific to your needs. This will include guidance on exercises that will help your condition. If you require ongoing treatment they will arrange a referral to the Physiotherapy Department within Raigmore.
All patients also now have access to Phio which is a free service providing a quick digital assessment. See the Phio homepage for more information - www.phio.eql.ai/provider/nhsnhighland-gp
Pharmacists
Patients can access free advice and treatment from pharmacists under an initiative called Pharmacy First. This covers the vast majority of minor ailments and will allow patients to get treatment quicker than they would through a GP appointment. This covers all illnesses such as:
Acne, allergies, athletes foot, colds, coughs, constipation, cystitis, diarrhoea, earache, haemorrhoids, hay fever, headache, head lice, impetigo, indigestion, mouth ulcers, nappy rash, period pain, ringworm, scalp problems, thrush, warts/veruccas and urinary tract infections (UTI) in females aged 16-65.
Opticians
Any problems with eyes are best directed to an optician as they are specialist in eye care and have equipment for examining your eyes which GP's do not have access to. Issues such as dry, red, watery, sticky or itchy eyes, head-aches when watching TV, cysts, styes, conjunctivitis can all be discussed with your optician.
Just Ask
This service can help parents who have concerns about their children. Through this service a parent can access a specialist practitioners. Their team includes Autism Practitioners, Dieticians, physios, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, pre-school home visiting teachers and Primary Mental Health Workers. They can assist in diagnosing and managing issues such as:
Feeding concerns, allergies(milk & formula, egg peanut), possible autism or learning difficulties, problems with joints or muscles, concerns about speech or language development and mental health problems.
The Just Ask team is available on Tuesday's and Thursdays 1-4pm on 0300 303 1365.
Podiatry
You can self refer to the Podiatry service. You must fill in a referral form which can be submitted electronically. The form can be accessed by clicking here: Podiatry Self Referral
Dentist
Any condition affecting your mouth or teeth should be directed to a dentist.
Smoking cessation
If you would like assistance to stop smoking, you can fill an electronic referral form to gain an appointment with a specialist advisor by visiting www.smokefreehighland.scot.nhs.uk/
Maggie's Highland
Are offering pre-booked face to face appointments in the centre, whilst continuing their group work online. People can also drop in from 9-5pm, Monday to Friday. The garden is open for people to use if attending the hospital.
Maggie’s is not just there for the person with cancer, but also their family and friends, which becomes especially important if the person with cancer dies. They provide one to one bereavement support and also have a bereavement group that meets twice a month.
The other thing that may be of interest is their parents group, which will support parents to speak to their children about cancer no matter what their age and also understand their children’s reactions to having someone in the family with cancer. They also have a children's group which is being run monthly via Zoom. This is for primary school age children who have a family member with cancer.
They are running group support via zoom for patients starting radiotherapy, those with brain, bowel and prostate tumours, as well as offering course for mindfulness and benefit support. Maggie’s Highlands is now leading on a new Mesothelioma Network Group, in conjunction with Mesothelioma UK, across the whole of Scotland. This will be on the first Friday of every month.
They have daily telephone support available from 9am-5pm.
They now have a full time Benefits Advisor, Lynsey Pearce, who can see people face to face in the centre or via zoom calls if they live in the further reaches of the highlands. Whilst her job title is benefits advisor, Lynsey’s remit is much wider, and she can help with getting grants, support with housing , workers’ rights, energy efficiency, referral to food banks, and advice around debt.
If you have any queries or want to find out more about the support programmes available, please contact the centre directly on 01463 706306.
Maggie's services- patients and their families
Patient Transport Service
Please click on the link to access information the Patient Transport Service:
Patient Transport Information