West Meads Doctors Surgery

25/02/2026

💚 Come Along Next Wednesday to Our Monthly Diabetes Peer Support Group! 💚

If you’re pre-diabetic or living with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and are registered with ourselves, Maywood Surgery or Grove House Surgery , we’d love to see you there!

No need to book—just drop in and join our welcoming community for support, advice, and connection.

22/02/2026

Reminder: you can contact us online via our website

You can submit a request online through our website for both medical and administrative queries (for example, advice requests and general admin requests). This helps you contact us without needing to phone, and helps keep phone lines freer for those who can’t go online.

To submit a request click the following link- https://www.westmeadssurgery.co.uk/contact-us-online

If you feel your problem is urgent, please telephone the practice or use NHS 111 (call 111 or visit https://111.nhs.uk/).
In an emergency, call 999.

18/02/2026

Bowel Cancer Screening: please don’t ignore your kit

Bowel cancer screening can help find cancer early, before you have any symptoms — and it can also detect changes that may develop into cancer in the future.

If you’re sent a bowel screening kit through the post, please complete it and return it as soon as you can. It’s quick to do at home and could save your life.

A few key points:

Screening is for people without symptoms
If you have symptoms (such as blood in your poo, a persistent change in bowel habit, unexplained weight loss, or ongoing tummy pain), please contact the practice even if you’ve recently had a screening test
If you’ve lost your kit or need help completing it, follow the instructions in the pack or contact the bowel screening helpline details provided with your kit
More information:

NHS bowel cancer screening: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer-screening/
NHS information on bowel cancer: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer/

16/02/2026

Children's Mental Health Week 👪👩‍👩‍👧‍👦👨‍👨‍👧‍👦

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week – a reminder that how children feel emotionally is just as important as their physical health.
Schools, families and health services are working together to support children and young people, but services are under significant pressure.

You can help by:
• Talking regularly with your child about how they’re feeling
• Noticing changes in sleep, appetite, mood or behaviour
• Using school-based support and online resources where appropriate
• Seeking advice early if you’re worried, rather than waiting for a crisis

Useful NHS resources for parents and carers:
• NHS mental health support for children and young people: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/
• Information on NHS mental health services: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/

If you’re concerned about a child’s immediate safety or risk of serious harm, please contact 999 or your local urgent mental health service via NHS 111 online (https://111.nhs.uk) or by calling 111.

Find out where to get mental health support for children and young people, including advice for parents.

13/02/2026

The extra urgent appointments are intended for dental problems such as:

Severe toothache : ongoing, intense pain that isn’t eased by over-the-counter pain relief
Dental abscess : infection causing pain, swelling and sometimes fever
Broken or knocked-out tooth : dental trauma leading to a fractured or displaced tooth
Ongoing bleeding : bleeding after a dental procedure or injury that doesn’t stop with local pressure/measures
Swelling : significant swelling of the face or mouth, which may suggest infection
Painful fillings : fractured, loose or displaced fillings causing significant discomfort
Severe gum bleeding or acute soft-tissue problems : affecting the cheeks, gums or tongue
Dentists may also provide other urgent care depending on clinical need. Some treatments may require follow-up appointments and could involve additional charges.

Sussex residents who need urgent dental help can contact the Sussex Dental Helpline on 0300 123 1663 (8am–4pm, Monday to Friday) or email kcht.dentalhelpdesk@nhs.net. Outside these hours, NHS 111 can help.

11/02/2026

Know Your Blood Pressure ❤️‍🩹

High blood pressure often has no symptoms, but it increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease. The good news is that it’s easy to check — and treatment and lifestyle changes can make a big difference.

What you can do:

Get your blood pressure checked regularly (at the GP practice, some pharmacies, or with a validated home monitor)
If you’re asked to do home readings, please send them in as advised — it helps us assess your blood pressure more accurately
If you’ve previously had a high reading, don’t ignore it — we may need repeat checks and sometimes home or ambulatory monitoring to confirm whether you have hypertension
If you’re aged 45+ and haven’t had a blood pressure reading recorded in the last few years, please consider booking a check or using a local pharmacy service.

More information:

NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/
NICE guidance on diagnosing and managing hypertension (NG136): https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng136
NHS England home blood pressure monitoring: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/clinical-policy/cvd/home-blood-pressure-monitoring/
Community Pharmacy Blood Pressure Check Service: https://www.england.nhs.uk/primary-care/pharmacy/nhs-community-pharmacy-bp-checks-and-hypertension-case-finding-advanced-service/

Find out about high blood pressure, including how to find out if you have it, what causes it and what you can do to lower it.

09/02/2026

We had a very busy January at the surgery.

We are grateful for any feedback that we receive via the family and friends text message that you will receive after an appointment with us as it helps us improve our services to you.

07/02/2026

👶🤍 Post-Natal Fitness Course – Community Notice 🤍👶

We’d like to make our patients aware of a 10-week Post-Natal Fitness Course being run locally at The Phoenix Centre.

This course is led by Tor and is designed to support parents in getting back to fitness after having a baby. It also includes a baby first aid session, which many parents may find reassuring and helpful.

📅 Starts: Monday 2nd March 2026
⏰ Time: 10:15am
💷 Cost: £50 for the full course
🏋️‍♀️ Bonus: Discounted Arena Gym membership available after the course (£18.75/month)

Additional perks include:
• Sensory room open from 9–10am
• Discounted hot drinks available from 9:30am ☕

ℹ️ Please note: This course is not run by the GP surgery. We are simply sharing this information for awareness, and all enquiries should be directed to the organiser.

📧 Contact: tor.gates@hotmail.co.uk

As always, if you have any health concerns post-nataly, please contact the practice directly. 💙

06/02/2026

Time to Talk Day 🗣️

Today is Time to Talk Day – a reminder that conversations about mental health can make a real difference.

Life is busy and pressures are high for many people. Taking a few minutes to check in with a friend, family member, colleague or neighbour can help them feel less alone – and it might help you too.

If you’re struggling:
🌟 Book an appointment with one of our GPs
🌟Talk to someone you trust
🌟Use NHS 111 online ( https://111.nhs.uk ) or call 111 if you need urgent mental health help
🌟In an emergency, or if you feel you might act on suicidal thoughts, call 999

Our practice team is here to help you access the right support, but we do ask that you use appointments appropriately so we can prioritise those most in need.

04/02/2026

Cancer is deeply personal, and so are your stories. Whether you’re a person living
with cancer, caregiver, or advocate, your experience matters. Share it and become
part of a powerful movement to improve cancer care.
World Cancer Day

04/02/2026

World Cancer Day – 4 February 🎗️

Today is World Cancer Day, a reminder of the importance of prevention, early diagnosis and support for anyone affected by cancer.

As a GP practice, we’re asking our patients to help us help you by:

💚Attending cancer screening when invited (bowel, breast, cervical)
💚Not ignoring persistent or unusual symptoms – please contact us if something doesn’t feel right
💚Keeping up to date with vaccinations such as HPV, which helps prevent certain cancers
💚Using trusted information sources like the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cancer/

The NHS Long Term Plan places a strong focus on earlier and faster cancer diagnosis, because finding cancer sooner can save lives. You can read more about NHS England’s cancer work here:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/cancer/

Thank you for using our services appropriately so we can prioritise those who need urgent assessment. If you’re worried about possible cancer symptoms, please get in touch – we would rather hear from you than have you wait.

Find out more about cancer, including the possible symptoms, types of cancer, common treatments, causes and ways to reduce your risk, as well as information on waiting times for diagnosis and treatment.

04/02/2026

It's That Time of the Month Again!

We are thrilled to invite you to our Diabetes Peer Support Group session today! This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with others, share your experiences, and receive support in managing your condition. Whether you're living with pre-diabetes, Type 1 diabetes, or Type 2 diabetes, your insights and stories are invaluable to our community.

Who Can Attend?
This session is open to all patients from Maywood Surgery and Grove House Surgery who are living with pre-diabetes, Type 1 diabetes, or Type 2 diabetes. We aim to create a supportive environment where everyone can learn from each other and feel empowered in their health journey.

Session Details:
Time: 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Location: Our meeting room at the surgery

No appointment is necessary—just come along and be part of our supportive community. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing this time together!