East Quay Medical Centre

05/12/2025

05/12/2025

04/12/2025

There is a lot of flu, Covid and winter bugs around.

If you have symptoms of these, please wear a mask if you come in to the surgery.

That reduces the risk of passing on to other patients, some who may be vulnerable to complications, as well as ensures our team stays healthy.

Thank you for your help.

03/12/2025

Are you 18+? Do you live in the Bridgwater, Yeovil or Taunton area? Are interested in joining a community sports club or physical activity group?

Move to Include helps adults with a learning disability or autism a chance to connect with community sports and activities with the support of a SASP connector.

To find out more and to nominate someone, visit 👉 www.sasp.co.uk/move-to-include

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Zoe, one of our Disability Project Officers, on ZRidler@sasp.co.uk.

03/12/2025

03/12/2025

We have ongoing sickness in the GP team which is impacting on our urgent capacity.

We are very sorry and thank you for your understanding.

02/12/2025

New smoke free app supporting you to quit - anytime, anywhere

Somerset Council’s Public Health Smokefree Somerset team has launched a new resource - the Smoke Free app is now available to all Somerset NHS staff, including GP practice staff, making it easier than ever to start your journey to becoming smokefree.

Love not smoking

02/12/2025

Urgent Field Notice: Abbott Libre 3 and Libre 3 Plus sensors

Please find below a message from Abbott regarding the Freestyle Libre 3 and 3 Plus sensors.

“Abbott seeks to inform you about an Urgent Field Safety Notice concerning FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors in the UK.

"Abbott has recently identified that certain FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors may provide incorrect low glucose readings.

"Abbott is attempting to notify patients using FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors about this issue through various means, including direct notifications through their app and by email (if provided). Patients are asked to visit www.FreeStyleCheck.com to determine if they have any potentially affected sensors.

Abbott has recently identified that certain FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors provide incorrect low glucose readings. We learned about this through our ongoing product monitoring, where Libre 3 and Libre 3 Plus sensor users reported situations where they ...

02/12/2025

Breast screening saves lives. The mobile breast screening van will be in your area soon. Make sure you book an appointment when you receive your letter.

All women registered with us and aged 50-70 will be called for breast screening every 3 years. Don’t ignore your breast screening – it could save your life.

We support breast screening. It’s a free NHS service for women 50-70 that helps find cancer when it’s too small to see or feel. Screening saves lives. Make sure to attend your appointment when you receive your invite.

1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Treatment is more successful if cancer is detected earlier. Breast screening aims to find cancer early, before you experience any symptoms or notice any changes. Attend screening when you’re invited.

The NHS breast screening mobile unit will be in our area soon. If you’re 50-70 look out for your appointment letter and make sure you attend when you receive it. Screening saves lives.

Did you know you risk of getting breast cancer goes up as you get older? Around 4 out of 5 breast cancers are found in women aged over 50. To find out more about breast screening visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer-screening/

Did you know most women with breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease? It’s really important to get checked. Between ages 50-70 you’ll be invited for breast screening every 3 years. Make sure you attend.

Worried about breast screening? First time attending and not sure what to expect? Find out more about what happens when you go for screening here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer-screening/what-happens/

Find out what happens when you have breast screening and what you can do to prepare.

02/12/2025

Breast cancer symptoms
It’s important to know what your breasts usually look and feel like, so you know what is normal for you. This makes it easier to notice any changes to your breasts.

Symptoms of breast cancer in women may include:
- a lump or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit
- a change in the skin of your breast, such as dimpling or redness (rashes or changes in skin colour may be harder to see on black or brown skin)
- an orange peel appearance, where the skin may be thicker and pores are more obvious
- a change in size or shape of 1 or both breasts
- ni**le discharge, which may have blood in it
- a change in the shape or look of your ni**le, such as it pulling inwards (inverted ni**le) or a rash on it (may look like eczema).
- On its own, pain in your breasts is not usually a sign of breast cancer. If you have pain or discomfort in the breast or armpit that’s there all or almost all the time, it’s best to get it checked.

If you have any of these symptoms, please speak to your GP as soon as possible. Ask the GP reception team for an urgent appointment. It is important to do this even if you have recently had breast screening.

Who is more likely to get breast cancer?
Anyone can get breast cancer, but you may be more likely to get it if you:

are over 50
have dense breast tissue
have other people in your family who’ve had breast or ovarian cancer – you may have inherited a faulty gene, such as a faulty BRCA gene
have certain breast conditions, such as benign breast disease, ductal carcinoma in situ or lobular carcinoma in situ.
You can speak to your GP or practice nurse if breast or ovarian cancer runs in your family, and you would like advice.

You can lower your risk of breast cancer by avoiding drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week and keeping to a healthy weight.

02/12/2025

Possible risks of breast screening
The main risk of breast screening is that it may find a cancer that would never have caused harm. This is because we cannot always predict if a cancer will become life-threatening or not.

You will be offered treatment if we find breast cancer. This means you may get treatment for a non-life-threatening cancer. If you are offered treatment, the specialist team will explain the options to you to help you decide.

No screening test is 100% reliable.

Very rarely, a cancer may be missed. Screening does not always find a cancer that is there. Sometimes cancers cannot be seen on the mammogram.

Breast cancer can also develop in the time between screening appointments. You still need to look at and feel your breasts regularly, so you are aware of any unusual changes. Please contact your GP surgery as soon as possible if you think you have symptoms of breast cancer.

Having mammograms exposes you to a small amount of radiation from the X-rays. This very slightly increases your chance of getting cancer over your lifetime. NHS machines use low radiation doses to minimise any risk. Research shows the overall benefits of breast screening outweigh the risks of radiation exposure.