Practice updates

The surgery will be closed 1pm to 6pm on Tuesday 19th November for staff training. Any person who is ill or believe themselves to be ill AND where they feel they cannot wait until the next day, call 01324 566 610 and the GP Out Of Hours service will assess.

We offer early morning telephone and face to face appointments to those patients who need to travel for their work and find it difficult to attend our surgery during normal hours.

Tuesday or Wednesday 7.30am - 8.15am

Please call 01360 440515 to make an appointment.

Please follow the link below to download a registration form from NHS Inform. Complete the registration form. Follow the steps on the NHS Inform Website. Email the completed form with a photo of your ID to fv.balfronhealthcentre@nhs.scot. Please add a name and telephone number of your next of kin.

Trainee doctors do a variety of jobs in hospital before spending six and then twelve months with us. As part of the training they require to video record several consultations and sometimes we do joint consultations with them. Your permission for this will always be sought in advance.

Our current trainee GP is Dr Daniel Husni.

HGV Medical £100.00

Insurance Medical Exam £100.00

Insurance Reports/Proforma £50.00

Private/Employers Medical £60.00

Forces Medical £60.00

Camp America with exam £75.00

Camp America without exam £50.00

Shotgun/Firearms Licence £75.00

Carry Medication on flight letter £30.00

Holiday Cancellation form/Insurance Claim Form £50.00

Power of Attorney £75.00

Guardianship £100.00

Private Blood Tests £30.00

Private ECG £50.00

Exemption from Jury Duty No Charge

Soul & Conscience letter No Charge

Copy of medical records/Imms history etc No Charge

Passport Verification NO will not do

Payment to be made before paperwork is issued. A BACS payment is our preferred method, Bank of Scotland, A/C No 00381006 Sort Code 801248. Alternatively cash or cheque payment (payable to Drs Roemmele & Boddington) are accepted.

We know that you may have concerns about this policy, so we wanted to explain the reasons behind it. GPs have a responsibility to prescribe safely and this medication should not routinely be prescribed on request.

Below are a list of reasons why being sedated on a flight could cause harm:

• Diazepam, a common sedative, can cause drowsiness and relaxation. The side effects of these medications should be carefully considered, given they can impair judgement and increase reaction time. While this might seem helpful during a flight, it can also impair your ability to respond to an emergency. This could have serious safety implications for you and others on your flight.

• The passenger cabin of commercial aeroplanes are usually pressurised to the same atmospheric conditions found at an altitude of 10,000 feet. As such, the effective oxygen level is only 14.3% compared to the 20.9% found at ground level. This difference may well be significant in the context of medications – such as benzodiazepines – that can cause respiratory depression.

• These medicines cause deep sleep and not moving around increases the risk of getting a blood clot in the leg (deep vein thrombosis – DVT) or lungs (pulmonary embolus), particularly if your flight is longer than 4 hours. Both of these conditions are potentially life-threatening.

• Occasionally diazepam and similar drugs can cause agitation/aggression, which could put you or others at risk

• There is evidence that the use of these drugs stops the normal adjustment response that would gradually lessen anxiety over time and may increase anxiety in the long term, especially if used repeatedly, in general, as well as for this purpose.

• Sedative use added to alcohol consumption increases the side-effects of these drugs.

• Diazepam and similar controlled drugs are illegal (even if prescribed) in many countries and may cause trouble with the police if found at Customs.

• Diazepam stays in your system for some time. If your job or sport needs you to have random drug testing, you may fail this having taken diazepam.

We suggest that you consider enrolling in a Fear of Flying course run by airlines. We have listed some options below that you may find helpful.

We are no longer providing immunisations directly from the practice. The Health Board Immunisation Team are now doing them and will be sending eligible patients appointments via letter. Please go to NHS Inform on the link below to find out if you are eligible and to book an appointment.

If you are considering a weight loss programme then go to the NHS Forth Valley website through the link below to find practical advice, information and downloadable resources.

The new physical activity web pages provide details of local activities, classes and services across Forth Valley suitable for people of all ages and abilities. This includes simple strength and balance exercises which can be carried out at home as well as tips, advice and videos to help people become more active. To find out more please click on the link below.

Surgical options in Scotland can appear more expensive. But you should think about the potential savings against the potential risks of travelling for surgery. You should fully understand what's included in any private treatment package, either at home or abroad. The operation is only one part of treatment. You'll need routine care before and after the actual operation. NHS Scotland is under no obligation to provide this. Please click on the link below to

Breastfeeding provides everything your baby needs for the first 6 months of their life. After 6 months babies need food as well as milk, but breast milk is still important during the first 2 years of your baby's life and beyond. Breastfeeding is also a new skill you and your baby have to learn together, and it isn’t always easy, which is why we’re here for you with lots of advice and information on getting started, keeping going, and overcoming any problems that crop up along the way.

Click on the link below to access the NHS Forth Valley website. This provides you with nutrition focussed topics and they have dedicated a page to Infant feeding. They have included information on milk feeding, vitamin D supplementation and introducing infants to solid food.

If you need urgent help with money, food or fuel your local council may be able to help. Please click on the link to the Scottish Government below to access the information.

A free, safe, confidential service for anyone - of any age, gender or sexual orientation - who is affected by domestic abuse or forced marriage, as well as those concerned about someone else.

Online appointment booking is currently suspended.

We will advise when online appointments become available again.

Some vaccinations are provided free through the NHS and the Travel Assessment Service will advise you of any costs involved. Alternatively, call Aberfoyle Pharmacy on 01877 389127 and Pharmacist Jamie MacConnacher runs a travel vaccination clinic and can provide you with all your immunisation requirements however please be aware that you will be charged for not going through an NHS Forth Valley Travel Assessment.

Below is the link to the NHS Inform page with instructions to people requiring information about their vaccination.

You can also get your record posted to you by calling the freephone national telephone line 0808 196 8565.

It forms part of the wider system of supports and services available for children and young people, such as school counselling supports and Togetherall, an online digital mental health service for 16-26 year olds residing in the Stirling area.

Kooth provides unique out of office hours’ provision and is open 7 days per week, 365 days a year, with live support and counselling available from noon until 10pm weekdays and from 6pm until 10pm on Saturday and Sundays. Also, on the site are moderated, scheduled forums and self-help articles (many written by service users) to provide peer led and self-help support. The attached parent leaflet provides further details.

Go to Our Practice/Balfron Health Centre/Video Appointments for link to this service. ONLY LOG IN IF YOU HAVE ASKED RECEPTION FOR A VIDEO CONSULTATION WITH A GP.

We always appreciate the generosity of our patients so thank you to everyone who has given the Practice gifts over the years. I would like to take this opportunity to say that we cannot accept gifts over the value of £10 due to ethical reasons.

If you are ill while away from home you can receive emergency treatment from the local GP practice for 14 days.

You can be registered as a temporary patient for up to three months.

To register as a temporary patient call us on 01360 440515

Click on the link to find out how NHS Forth Valley can help you stop smoking

You can sign up at www.sleepio.com/nhs and get instant access to 6 CBT sessions and a range of expert guides to help with your sleep.

You can sign up for instant access at www.trydaylight.com/nhs and download the app. You will be guided through a range of different CBT techniques to help manage your anxiety.