All Services

Foreign Travel/Private Vaccinations

Non-urgent advice: Please note

We are currently unable to offer travel vaccinations due to limited nurse availability. In the meantime, we recommend visiting a local pharmacy that provides this service. Most pharmacies can help, and Hurst Pharmacy in Hurstpierpoint is a nearby option known to offer travel vaccinations.
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Travel Clinics, for patients registered with our Practice, are run by our Practice Nurses.

If you are contemplating a foreign trip, contact the surgery well in advance of your departure date for advice about vaccinations to ensure we can accommodate you.

We require our patients to initially fill in a travel questionnaire for each person requesting an appointment; the form then needs to be returned to Reception.

You will be contacted by our travel nurse who will discuss your requirement and book the initial appointment.

Non-urgent advice: Important Information

Some vaccines need to be given over a period of 28 days and some are not effective until 10 days after having them, so  allow enough time before you travel. 

There is a fee for vaccinations and for prescriptions for anti-malarials which are not available on the NHS. For details of chargeable vaccines please contact reception.

Please be aware that occasionally there are immunisations that can only be administered at Cuckfield Medical Practice. We are a 2 site surgery and we do operate Travel Clinics at The Vale, however there are some vaccinations that must be refrigerated and must not be moved between sites.

We are a registered Yellow Fever Travel Clinic however this vaccination can only be administered at Cuckfield Medical Practice, for our own registered patients.

The NHS does provide typhoid, Hep A and Diptheria, Tetanus & Polio vaccinations. If you require vaccinations prior to your journey, you will need to contact the surgery at least 6 weeks before you travel. Please bring the following things with you to your appointment:

– A list of the countries and areas within countries that you are visiting
– A list of any previous vaccinations you were given at private clinics, and the dates they were given
– Anything advised on the websites below for your intended destination(s)
– A completed Pre-Travel Questionnaire

These websites will tell you which vaccinations and medication you require prior to travelling to your destination:

Africa

Central Asia and East Asia

Australasia and the Pacific

North America, South America and Central America

The Caribbean

The Middle East.

Europe and Russia

If you are travelling to Europe the EU has published useful information for travellers on the European website.

Non-NHS Services & Fees

NHS services are provided free of charge to our patients under our General Medical Services contract and the NHS covers the cost of providing these services. However, some additional services are not available under the NHS and are not paid for by NHS funding. 

GPs are self-employed and have to cover the costs of running the GP Practice just like any other business. For example, they need to pay staff, heating and lighting costs and also invest in developing the services and facilities provided. 

Time spent by GPs completing private reports and undertaking private medical examinations are generally done outside of normal contracted working hours as an extra commitment to a GPs workload. 

The fees charged for non-NHS services go towards covering the costs of running and investing in our Practice to provide the wide range of services patients require.
Some services for which a non-NHS fee is applicable will be payable by patients themselves and some services will be payable by other organisations, e.g. insurance companies, local authorities, and solicitors, etc. 
(Where information is requested from third parties, this will of course not be released without prior consent by the patient). 

A full list of all fees and charges is included below but some examples would be:
– Services for which a fee is payable by patients are:
— employment, HGV, and taxi driver medical examinations
— accident and sickness certificates for insurance purposes
— school fee and holiday insurance certificates
— reports for health clubs to certify patients are fit to exercise

– Services for which a fee is payable by other authorities are:
— copies of medical records for solicitors and insurance companies
— life assurance and income protection reports for insurance companies
— reports for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP
— medical reports for local authorities in connection with adoption and fostering

Patients should note that not all documents need the signature of a doctor, for example passport applications, where you can ask another person in a position of trust to sign such documents free of charge.  
Similarly, not all forms needs to be completed or signed by a doctor, for example Bus Pass and Blue Badge forms – these can be completed and submitted by patients themselves and only if the application was refused might the patient want to ask the doctor to provide additional information to support their application.
A doctor’s priority will always be the care provided for patients under the NHS. Time spent completing forms and preparing reports adds to their already heavy workload and non-NHS work is generally done in the doctors’ own time. 

The patient may feel that they only require a doctor’s signature on a form which should not take long, but a condition of remaining on the Medical Register is that a doctor only signs what they know to be true. They therefore may need to check the patient’s entire medical record to avoid serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (GMC). 

The waiting time for non-NHS work and services completed outside normal working hours is therefore likely to be affected by this. Patients are advised that any documentation to be completed by a doctor may, in general, take approximately 10 to 14 working days (dependent upon the availability of the doctor concerned and any factors such as annual leave, sickness, etc)
Our fees and charges are set in accordance with British Medical Association (BMA) guidance and in line with charges applied by other General Practice surgeries.

The British Medical Association (BMA) provides guidance on a range of fees, include the fee for medical insurance reports which it has agreed with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and DVLA fees which it has agreed with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Their suggested fees are for guidance only, and are not recommendations, and doctors are not obliged to charge the rates which they suggest.  

Our list of charges reflects the BMA suggested fees for some services. It is at the discretion of individual doctors whether, under certain circumstances, they agree to waive a payable fee.
For our full list of fees and charges see below. 

  • Payment for services can be made by debit card and bank transfer. 
  • We prefer not to take cash or cheque although can in exceptional circumstances. 
  • If a service you require is not on our list please enquire at Reception and we will look into whether this can be provided and what the fee would be.  
  • Our list of fees will be reviewed and updated annually. 
  • We do require payment before the certificate/report is released to you.

Fees

Private Certificates

Private prescriptions                                                                                       £30.00

Private sick note                                                                                              £30.00

Fit to attend/perform                                                                                     £30.00

Driving licence forms                                                                                      £30.00

Holiday cancellation                                                                                       £35.00

Pre-marital health                                                                                           £30.00

Shotgun certificate                                                                                          £30.00

PPP forms                                                                                                         £30.00

Other short forms & certificates                                                                   £30.00

Fitness to travel without examination                                                        £35.00

Fitness to travel with examination                                                              £60.00

Elderly Fitness to drive                                                                                  £35.00

Blue Badge schemes – examination & report                                            £60.00

Blue Badge Scheme – report only                                                                £35.00

Private Medicals

Insurance without examination                                                                  £120.00

Insurance with examination                                                                        £150.00

Pre-employment                                                                                             £130.00

Racing driver, Hang-gliding etc..                                                                   £95.00

Occupational health report                                                                             £95.00

Employer medical (long term sickness)                                                       £45.00

HGV/PSV/LGV                                                                                                £120.00

Emigration                                                                                                          £95.00

Hackney Carriage                                                                                            £100.00

Adoption medical – adult                                                                                £120.00

Adoption medical – child                                                                                 £60-00 – £100.00

Private Legal Reports

Private & overseas visitors* home visit                                                       £80.00 per 30 mins

Private & overseas visitors* consultation in Practice                               £40.00 per 10 mins

Private & overseas visitors* consultation with nurse                               £35.00 per 10 mins

Accidents litigation, General Practice opinion                                           £40.00 per 10 mins

Witness power of attorney                                                                             £70.00

Power of attorney exam and certificate                                                        £120.00

Private legal report only                                                                                 £150.00 per hour

Private legal report and examination (minimum charge £130)             £260 per hour

Examination of private records                                                                     £35.00 plus P&P

Ofsted/CQC etc reports                                                                                  £25.00

Non-urgent advice: *Duty to provide emergency and immediately necessary treatment

Practices have a contractual duty to provide emergency treatment and immediately necessary treatment free of charge for up to 14 days. 

There is no definition of immediately necessary treatment in primary medical services contract regulations. However, in relation to people who are visiting or not a resident in England, it should be viewed as including treatment of new conditions and also pre-existing conditions that have become exacerbated during the period of a person’s stay in England, subject to the contractor’s clinical judgement.

Cervical Smear Programme

The Practice cervical smear programme, with co-operation of the Health Authority, has been running for many years.

Your cervical smear status is closely monitored and you will be contacted when you are due for a smear. If you are aged 25-49 you will be called every 3 years, 50-65 you will be called every 5 years. Results are sent directly to patients as well as to the Practice within 2 weeks of smear being taken.

Please book an appointment with one of our Practice Nurses when your reminder arrives.

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Child Immunisations

We are committed to a policy of preventive medicine and therefore encourage all parents to make sure their children are up to date with their vaccinations. You will be invited to attend the surgery when vaccinations are due.

Chronic Disease Management

Patients registered at the Practice with a chronic disease including Asthma, COPD (Chronic Lung Disease), Diabetes and Chronic Heart Disease are invited to attend an annual review for a full check-up and assessment of their condition. These clinics aim to offer advice and support, and ensure that patients are receiving the maximum benefit from their medication.

We take prescribing responsibility for all medication that we prescribe, therefore we need to ensure that all chronic disease patients attend a hospital appointment or a review in the surgery before we prescribe ongoing medication.

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Counselling and Time to Talk

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The TIME TO TALK service provides talking therapies (psychological therapies – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT, counselling, and guided self-help) to help patients understand and change their thoughts and feelings to get well and stay well. Patients who need support from the Community Mental Health team have the opportunity to see their Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) at the surgery for some appointments.

Non-urgent advice:

Patients who are referred for talking therapies to help them deal with problems such as anxiety and depression are sometimes offered appointments with the Counsellor or Cognitive behaviour Therapist at Cuckfield. Patients can self-refer to this service on 01444 251084 or by clicking here for further information.

Dermatology – Cryotherapy

We provide a Cryotherapy service which is suitable for some small lesions such as troublesome sun damage and involves a controlled freeze using liquid nitrogen. This can only be provided at The Vale because of the requirements of storing liquid nitrogen.

If you have had this treatment previously and feel it may be required again please book your appointment at The Vale with either Dr Burns or Dr Harvey. If you are unsure you can seek advice from any clinician with a routine appointment at either site who will advise you and can organise an appointment.

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Phlebotomy & INR Monitoring

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Our Health Care Assistants and Phlebotomy team offer a blood taking service at both the Cuckfield and Vale Practice sites.  

Appointments are available on a daily basis to have your blood tests taken. These appointments must be before 2pm as otherwise they are not collected in time and transported to the hospital.  

We are only able to offer blood testing for requests that have been raised by the practice.  

If the hospital have asked you to have blood tests and provided you with a form we would ask that you have this taken in the phlebotomy department at the Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath Monday – Friday 8:30am until 4:30pm.

We also provide anti-coagulation monitoring appointments for patients prescribed Warfarin. At the time of your appointment you will be provided with information on your future doses of Warfarin and when to make an appointment for your next test.

Requests by hospital services to perform bloods tests in General Practice.

The workload increases in General Practice are well documented in the media. An ageing population with multiple ailments and the development of new treatments has all led to a big increase in the need for blood tests to monitor patient’s health and effects of treatment.

The increased need for blood tests is generated both by GPs and by hospital Doctors. In recent years we are receiving increasing numbers of requests by patients for blood tests requested by hospital Doctors to be done by the surgery. This additional workload is not sustainable in the long term and we are being asked to do work that has been already commissioned for in the hospital phlebotomy department.

The system creates a lot of confusion particularly for patients and reception staff who may not have a full understanding of the clinical need surrounding the request.

To try and help clarify the situation we have divided requests for blood tests into three categories:

1. Blood tests we do:

  • Any blood tests requested by GPs or Allied health professionals working at the surgery.
  • Any requests made to the surgery via hospital discharge summaries when patients have been admitted to hospital as an emergency.
  • Some paediatric blood tests. The hospital has a specially commissioned service for this as younger children can be difficult to get blood samples from.
  • Any blood tests requested under a ‘shared care agreement’ which is a signed agreement with hospital consultants, usually rheumatologists where the monitoring of certain medications is shared with GP. Patients will be advised of this arrangement when the hospital Dr commences the medication.

2. Blood tests we do not do:

  • Any tests requested by hospital Doctors in outpatient departments.

3. Blood tests we may do subject to discretion:

  • Housebound patients: The district nurses will do these tests by request from us but it is at their discretion and whether they have the capacity to perform them.
  • Blood tests requested by organisations outside the practice only with prior agreement of a GP at the surgery e.g.:
  • a) Blood tests requested by distant, often London based hospital where it is unreasonable to ask a patient to travel just for a blood test and no other treatment. It will then be the responsibility of the patient to arrange for the result to be sent to the requesting doctor.
  • b) Blood tests requested as a result of a private consultation. This has always been a grey area for the NHS as legally it should not have to do work requested by the private sector but we fully understand patients may be self-funding, not insured and modern medicine is very expensive. These requests will be considered on an individual basis. Please be aware GPs are independent practitioners and may not agree with some requests made on clinical grounds as we practice evidence based medicine and must justify NHS expenditure.c) Individual cases where getting to the hospital to have bloods taken creates huge difficulties for a patient and common sense prevails e.g.: an elderly person, who does not drive, has no relatives or carers to assist them and it is geographically much easier to get to the surgery.
  • c) Individual cases where getting to the hospital to have bloods taken creates huge difficulties for a patient and common sense prevails e.g. an elderly person, who does not drive, has no relatives or carers to assist them and it is geographically much easier to get to the surgery.

There are always exceptions to any guidelines and we are happy to look at individual requests which may not be covered by the above. Please understand we do not wish to seem obstructive to patients, we are only trying to manage an ever increasing workload by prioritising work we are commissioned to do and declining work we are not, in an effort to provide the best service we can.

Please do not go to the PRH Phlebotomy clinic for any Practice requested blood tests.

National NHS Screening Programmes

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening

The NHS AAA Screening Programme will invite all men for screening during the year they turn 65. Men over 65 who have not previously been diagnosed with an aneurysm can request a scan by contacting their local programme directly on 01243 831503.

Breast Screening

Breast screening is performed on women from 50-70 years of age, every three years and patients will automatically be invited by the West Sussex Breast Screening Service to attend at the local screening unit.

The results are sent directly to the patient and to the Practice. Mammograms are available to women over 70 on request.

Patients can also self refer to breast screening units, however if they have any worrying symptoms, to speak to a GP in the first instance.

For further information please click on https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer-screening/faqs/

Bowel Screening

The Bowel Cancer Screening Programme offers screening every two years to all men and women aged 60 to 69.

Patients that are eligible for screening will receive an invitation letter and kit with step-by-step instructions for completing the test at home and sending the samples to the hub laboratory.

The test will then be processed and the results letter will be sent to the patient and their GP.

For any enquiries, please contact 0800 707 60 60.

We strongly encourage patients to take part in this valuable, free, screening service.

Cervical Screening

The Cervical Screening Programme offers a cervical smear to all women aged between 25 and 64 years of age.

This screening test is to detect abnormalities in the cells of the cervix then means these can be monitored and treated if required to prevent them becoming cervical cancer.  

Women aged 24-49 years will be invited every 3 years. Women aged 50-64 years will be invited every 5 years.  

You will receive a letter in the post when your smear is due. You can then book in with the practice nurses who will take your smear and then you will receive your results in the post.

For further information regarding this screening programme please click here.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening

The NHS AAA Screening Programme will invite all men for screening during the year they turn 65.

Men over 65 who have not previously been diagnosed with an aneurysm can request a scan by contacting their local programme directly on 01243 831503.

a man with a cast on his head is being examined by a doctor