Cancer Care Reviews

We offer a Cancer Care Review to support patients who have received a cancer diagnosis. This is an opportunity to discuss what matters to you and any worries or concerns you may have. This might include side effects of treatment, medications, symptom management or emotional support. You may also wish to discuss financial support, healthy lifestyles and physical activity and returning to work.

It is a chance to understand what support and information is available nationwide and in your local area and to talk about your cancer experience.

You will be contacted by a nurse or GP following your diagnosis to let you know what support is available to you and a cancer care review will be offered between 6-12 months following your diagnosis. It can be face to face in the surgery or over the telephone, whatever suits you best. You are welcome to attend alone or bring along a friend, relative or carer if you prefer.

Drop-in sessions for cancer patients and their carers

Our Wellbeing Team run a monthly drop-in session at our Highlands Surgery usually on the last Saturday of the month. This is open to for cancer patients and their carers. These drop-in sessions provide an opportunity meet other patients and find out about local emotional and financial support. We also discuss healthy lifestyle and exercise that may help you after a cancer diagnosis.

Screening services

Breast screening

If you are a registered Meon Health Practice patient and are between the ages of 50 – 71 you will be automatically invited local hospital breast screening service for a mammogram every three years. If you are over the age of 71 or have recently missed an appointment, please call their screening office on 023 9228 3613 or 023 9228 3614, or visit their website.

If you have any breast symptoms or concerns, please contact us at the practice.

Breast Screening: Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (porthosp.nhs.uk)

Cervical Screening (smear test)

Your first invitation for a cervical smear will be sent when you are aged 25 years. After that, you will be invited for regular checks every 3 years until you are 50 years then every 5 years until you reach the age of 65 years. We strongly recommend you do make the appointment to help ensure you do not develop cervical cancer. 

Find out more information about smear tests at: Women’s Health – Meon Health Practice.

Colorectal screening (bowel cancer test)

NHS bowel cancer screening checks if you could have bowel cancer. It’s available to everyone aged 60 to 74 years. The programme is expanding to make it available to everyone aged 50 to 59 years.

However, always contact us at here at the Practice if you have symptoms of bowel cancer at any age, even if you have recently completed a NHS bowel cancer screening test kit. Do not wait to have a screening test.

The NHS bowel cancer screening kit used in England is the faecal immunochemical test kit – known as the FIT kit.

Local resources

• Cancer Matters Wessex is a dedicated website for patients in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and Dorset, who need support or advice about cancer. The site provides information about the referral process, what happens if you are diagnosed with cancer and the local and national support available.
• Cancer Care Map is a useful online directory of cancer support services across the UK.
• Macmillan In Your Area is an online search tool for local Macmillan services including information and support, wellbeing services and rehabilitation groups.

National resources

The organisations below all provide reliable and evidence-based information for patients.

• NHS – Cancer
• Cancer Research UK provide a wide range of information and support around cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatments, and the latest research and evidence.
• Macmillan Cancer Support provide information on all cancer types and offer many services for patients including: telephone support line, online community, information booklets, benefits and work advice and access to financial support.

Specific cancer resources

The following charities can offer focused support for people who want to find out more about their cancer, including other people’s experiences following diagnosis:

• Bowel Cancer UK
• Breast Cancer Now
• Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust
• Prostate Cancer UK
• Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
• Target Ovarian Cancer

Please do not provide a urine sample unless you have been asked to do so by one of our healthcare professionals. 

If you are asked to provide a sample and are at the surgery, a member of our team will give you a container and explain how to collect a urine sample. 

If we request you to provide a sample after contacting you by text or over the phone, you can collect a sample container from our surgery reception desk.

What is a mid-stream urine sample?

A mid-stream urine sample means that you don’t collect the first part of the urine that comes out or the last part.  This reduces the risk of the sample being contaminated with bacteria.

How to collect a urine sample:

• label the container with your name, date of birth and the date of the specimen
• wash your hands
• wash your genitalia to avoid contamination
• start to urinate but don’t collect the first part of the urine that comes out
• collect a sample of urine ‘mid-stream’ in a sample container provided by the practice
• screw the lid of the container shut
• wash your hands thoroughly.
• You can collect a urine sample at any time of the day unless your healthcare professional advises you otherwise.  If your healthcare professional gives you any other instructions, you should follow these.

Bringing the sample in to surgery

As long as the sample is clean and properly labelled, you can drop the sample container at our surgery reception desk.  If you cannot hand your urine sample within an hour, you should keep in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge (for no longer than 24 hours) to prevent bacteria multiplying and affecting the test results.

How long will I have to wait for a result?

Many urine samples can be quickly analysed using dipstick analysis so you should know the result immediately if you are in the practice or within 24 hours if you have dropped a urine sample off to us.

For some more complex tests we need to send your urine sample off for laboratory testing at one of the local hospitals.  In this case, it might take up to 5 days for the results to come back to the practice.  These are sent electronically and checked every day by our Clinical Team.  If there is a cause for concern we will contact you by phone, text or letter within 24 hours of receiving the result.

We will not routinely contact you if the results are normal.

We are committed to providing a safe, comfortable, environment where the safety of both patients and staff is of paramount importance.

If you would like a suitably trained chaperone present during your consultation, please advise the receptionist when booking your appointment or when checking in.

Some services provided by our practice are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore will attract charges. This category of work is known as non-NHS work, or commonly known as Private Work. Examples include the following:

• Private prescriptions
• Private sick note
• Pre-employment medicals and assessments
• Travel cancellation letters and forms

These non-NHS services are not permitted for completion in our core GP hours within our NHS contract under NHS guidance. Private non-NHS services can also attract charges.

Whilst these services are important for patients, as they are not considered NHS work and our team must action these on top of their NHS work. The doctors reserve the right to refuse to undertake such work if they do not feel it is appropriate and will always make NHS work their priority.

If you require any of these non-NHS forms and services:

Please submit an admin request via Anima between 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.

Alternatively, you can call 01329 845777 or visit the surgery during opening hours. Please note our busiest times are 8am to 11am.

Please be advised completion of non-NHS work can take up to 90 days.

A full list of available non-NHS requests and our fees can be found here.

www.smokefreehampshire.co.ukSmokeFree Hampshire run regular face-to-face advice clinics at our Highlands surgery. You can book these directly with them on their website www.smokefreehampshire.co.uk.

Alternatively contact their team for other forms of support to help you quit. 

• Telephone: 01264 563039
• Email: smokefree.hampshire@nhs.net

Gloji is a 12-week digital weight loss programme supporting eligible patients to change their lifestyle for good. The programme is based on the latest science of what it takes to change behaviours. Gloji provides practical tools plus online resources tailored to your needs.

Specially trained health mentors can also support those who need it by phone. Eligible patients will have a body mass index (BMI) of over 30 (over 27.5 if from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities). 

Website: www.hampshire.gloji.org.uk

Our Wellbeing Team support patients with non-medical issues that do not need a medical prescription from a doctor. The team are here to support with life situations you may be struggling with.

The team offer a range of wellbeing walks and exercise classes and can support you with making healthier lifestyle choices.

If you are planning to travel outside of the UK, you may need to be vaccinated against some of the serious diseases found in other parts of the world. 

Please contact us in plenty of time to arrange any necessary vaccinations

To help our nursing team determine your travel vaccination needs, you will need to complete a pre-travel assessment form. Please contact the surgery around 8 to 12 weeks prior to your departure to allow adequate time for your travel assessments. We ask you to do this because travel advice and guidance changes all the time, therefore we need to assess your needs as close to the date of travel, but with adequate time to arrange and complete your consultation.

We are able to offer Tetanus, Typhoid and Hepatitis A vaccinations free of charge. We cannot provide the Yellow Fever vaccination or non-NHS private vaccinations.

The cost of travel vaccines that are not available on the NHS will vary, depending on the vaccine and number of doses you need.

How to complete a Travel Assessment Form

• You can do this online via Anima.
• Alternatively, call us on 01329 845777 or come into the surgery to request this.
  

Further information about travel vaccinations

• NHS advice about travel vaccinations is available at www.nhs.uk/conditions/travel-vaccinations.
• Travel Health Pro website provide a range of factsheets and resources for travellers
• Traveller Advice Resources – Jane Chiodini (a Travel Health Specialist Nurse).

Checklist of things to consider packing for your travel abroad

• Sufficient supply of any prescribed medication
• Any necessary travel health documentation
• Sunscreen and after-sun
• Insect repellent
• Painkillers (e.g. paracetamol, ibuprofen)
• Antihistamines for allergies, itching, rashes and insect bites
• EpiPen / adrenaline if you need to carry it
• Antacids for stomach acid / heartburn (e.g. Gavison)
• Laxatives / diarrhoea tablets
• Plasters and bandages
• Antiseptic cream / wipes
• Thermometer, scissors and tweezers
• Contraception

We provide pneumococcal and shingles vaccinations to patients aged over 65 years and others who are eligible according the criteria set by the Government. We contact eligible patients by text message and/or letter and offer a range of clinics at various days of the week, including Saturdays.

If you think you should have had a vaccination and may have been missed, please contact us to arrange an appointment.

• More information about the Pneumococcal vaccination is available at Pneumococcal vaccine – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
• More information about the Shingles vaccination is available at Shingles vaccine – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

We provide FREE Covid-19 booster and flu vaccinations in accordance with recommended eligibility criteria. 

We contact eligible patients by text and/or letter to book in at our vaccination clinics which take place on various days of the week, including Saturdays.

If you would like to contact us about this, use our Covid vaccination enquiry form.