Temporary closure on 17/04/24

On Wednesday 17th April 2024, both Bloomfield Medical Centre and Grange Park Health Centre will close at 1pm.

This closure is to allow for staff training, so that we can better improve our services and patient care.

For any non-urgent help during this period of closure, we advise all patients to use NHS 111 service, online or via telephone, if you feel your symptoms cannot wait until the practice reopens. You can learn more on help available to you out-of-hours by clicking here.

Both practices will re-open at their usual times on Thursday 18th April 2024.

Thank you for your understanding.

Issues with documents not showing on patient online GP records

We understand that some of our patients may have been unable to view certain documents (e.g. letters from the hospital) when using online services due to a software problem with our document manager. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.

We are pleased to inform you that this issue has been resolved; any new documents added to your electronic GP health records will be visible and it may take up to a month for older, affected documents to become visible.

The practice will have been able to access the letters, so your care will not have been affected during this time.

Notice regarding Diazepam for flying

The practice has made a decision that we will not prescribe Diazepam for patients who wish to use this for a fear of flying. We have made this decision due to the following reasons:

  1. Diazepam is a sedative. This means, the medication makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there were to be an emergency during the flight, this could impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions or react to the situation. This could seriously affect the safety of you and the people around you.
  2. Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however, when you sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means, your movements during sleep are reduced and this can place you at an increased risk of developing blood clots (DVT). These blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk further increases if your flight is over 4 hours long.
  3. Although most people respond to benzodiazepines like Diazepam with sedation, a small proportion experience the opposite effect and can become aggressive. They can also lead to disinhibition and make you behave in ways you normally wouldn’t. This could also impact on your safety and the safety of your fellow passengers or could lead you to get in trouble with the law.
  4. National prescribing guidelines followed by prescribers also don’t allow the use of benzodiazepines in cases or phobia. Any prescriber prescribing diazepam for a fear of flying would be taking a significant legal risk as this goes against these guidelines. Benzodiazepines are only licensed for short-term use in a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the problem you suffer with, you should seek proper care and support for your mental health, and it would not be advisable to go on a flight.
  5. In several countries, diazepam and similar drugs are illegal. They would be confiscated, and you might find yourself in trouble with the police for being in control of an illegal substance.
  6. Diazepam has a long half-life. This means it stays in your system for a significant time and you may fail random drug testing if you are subjected to such testing as is required in some jobs.

We appreciate a fear of flying is very real and very frightening and can be debilitating. However, there are much better and effective ways of tackling the problem. We recommend you tackle your problem with a Fear of Flying Course, which is run by several airlines. These courses are far more effective than diazepam, they have none of the undesirable effects and the positive effects of the courses continue after the courses have been completed.

For help for the fear of flying, please visit:

You can now view your approved prescriptions on the NHS app!

The NHS app has had a brilliant new redesign, and with it, lots of more great features to help improve your patient experience!

Most of our patients order their repeat medication through the NHS app with their smartphone, tablet, laptops and computers. Now, you can do even more, including:

  • view which medications have been prescribed
  • the type of prescription (repeat or one-off)
  • who prescribed your medication

For patients who do not have a nominated pharmacy, gone are the days for paper tokens! With the NHS app, you’ll be able to generate a barcode for your prescription and go to any pharmacy in England with it to collect your medication, making it quicker and easier for you.

Vin Diwakar, national director for transformation at NHS England, said: “Giving all patients in England direct access to prescription information through the app means they’ll know when their prescription is issued and avoid delays in collection.

“The prescription service is the latest in a number of services we’re adding to the NHS App to provide better care for patients. I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t used the NHS App for a while, or who has never downloaded it, to tap the app and see what it has to offer.”

Learn more

Long Covid Service funding has been extended until April 2025

The Long Covid Service funding has been extended until April 2025, meaning that they continue to accept new referrals suffering with Long Covid.

The service focuses on the self-management of symptoms through education, information and rehabilitation. The services helps to support patients on learning to live with and adjust to their symptoms and making them “experts” about their condition/symptoms.

The service offers support for the following symptoms following a COVID infection:

  • Fatigue
  • Breathlessness
  • Cough
  • Pain
  • Loss of smell and taste
  • Brain fog/memory issues
  • Speech/communication issues
  • Anxiety and low mood

Your GP must refer you to this service. If you wish to be referred, you must book a routine appointment with any doctor to discuss this.

Referral criteria:

  • Over 17 years old.
  • Registered with Fylde Coast GP.
  • A previous diagnosis of COVID-19; either a positive test OR a clinical diagnosis.
  • Diagnosis by exclusion – mandatory pre-referral investigations prior to referral.

Appointment are done by telephone, virtually or in clinic. They also offer the following group programmes:

  • Fatigue management
  • Breathlessness management
  • Cognitive therapy
  • Pain management support
  • Emotional support
  • Vocational rehab: support with returning to work/remaining in a supportive working environment/Also Employers Workshops
  • Sleep hygiene
  • Diet and Nutrition
  • Ongoing referrals to other services that may be able to support with Long Covid Recovery

Targeted Lung Health Checks

Targeted Lung Health Checks (TLHC) is essentially an ‘MOT for your lungs’ to see if they are in good working order and to diagnose conditions early. Your lungs work hard for you every minute of your life. As you get older it’s worth getting them checked out. If you’re aged between 55 and 74 and have ever smoked, you may be offered an NHS Targeted Lung Health Check.

There are often no signs or symptoms of lung cancer at an early stage. As a result, sadly, 7 out of 10 cancer patients are diagnosed too late to be cured. Targeted lung health checks can help diagnose lung cancer early, at a stage where treatment can be more successful

If you are worried about a symptom of lung cancer, please do not wait until you are invited for a Lung Health Check. Contact your GP as soon as possible. Find out more information on lung cancer symptoms by clicking here.

What happens at a targeted lung health check?

The lung health checks are made up of two stages: first, a telephone call with a health care professional who will ask you about your smoking history, lifestyle and current health and well-being.

If, based on that information, you are deemed to be at a high risk of lung cancer, you may be offered a CT scan so that we can get a better picture of inside your lungs.

If that scan shows that you need further investigations we will refer you to your local hospital.

If the scan shows no issues that need further investigation you will be invited back in two years for another CT scan to check that your lungs are still healthy.

How will I be invited for a lung health check?

You will be sent a letter with a time and date for your appointment.

In Lancashire and South Cumbria, checks are currently being offered in the following areas:

In Blackpool, the first checks were offered in 2021 and patients who received a scan at their first lung health check are now being invited back for their two-year follow-up scans.

In 2023, the Government announced that targeted lung health checks would become a national screening programme, which would roll out to cover the whole of the country over the next few years.

Find out more information

Winter vaccinations for 2023

Eligible patients are now being invited to have their winter vaccinations for 2023 within the practice, with the choice to have either/both the seasonal flu vaccine and the COVID-19 booster vaccine. When booking your vaccination, you do not need to choose which vaccinations you would like, you can do this on the day.

The majority of patients will be sent an SMS text message, allowing them to use a “self-booking link” to book an appointment which is suitable for the patient, without having to phone up. Other eligible patients who may not have a mobile number or access to a smartphone device will be sent a letter invitation through the post about the winter vaccination programme for 2023.

The cohort of eligible patients for this programme, as set out by NHS England, includes:

  • All adults aged 65 years and over
  • Persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as laid out in the Immunisation Green Book, COVID-19 Chapter (Green Book)
  • Persons aged 12 to 64 years who are household contacts (as defined in the Green Book) of people with immunosuppression
  • Patients who are pregnant

If patients are unable to use the self-booking link and would like to book an appointment for their winter vaccinations, they can do so by calling the practice on 01253 344544.

You can find more information online through the NHS website. Visit: nhs.uk/wintervaccinations

Blood tests at Whitegate Drive Health Centre

To help with increasing demand for blood tests and reduce wait times for appointments, patients can now (starting Monday 11th September 2023) have a booked appointment for their blood test at Whitegate Drive Health Centre (ground floor). This service has been organised by the Anticoagulation Service within Blackpool Teaching Hospitals.

This service runs from Monday to Friday at the following times each day:

  • From 9:30am to 12:00pm
  • From 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Patients can book their appointment by:

Instructions on how to book online

If this is your first time using the online booking system for your blood test at Whitegate Drive Health Centre, then please follow the instructions below to help you.

  1. Visit the online booking portal by clicking here.
  2. Select “sign up with email”.
  3. When asked for the hospital, search “Whitegate Drive CDC”. Select this and continue.
  4. Enter some basic details about yourself. You only need to complete the required fields in the form which are marked by a symbol (*).
  5. Your account has now been created. Continue.
  6. Select “book an appointment”. Now you can select a date and time for your appointment which suits you.

You will receive email confirmation when you book/cancel your appointment though the online booking service.

Should you require any further help or information, please contact the Anticoagulation Service on 01253 956 719.