The main means by which we support and deliver care to the community is through achieving our four aims of medical practice.
Our first aim is to provide primary medical care and support to our families appropriate to the times we live in and to the highest quality.
Our second aim is to improve the quality of life of our patients be they acutely, chronically or terminally ill.
Our third aim in to prevent illness, complications of illness and complications of medicines by appropriately screening our patients.
Our fourth aim is to bring and provide as many services for our patients in the community in a pre-hospital setting.
FEES
The standard consultation fee is €50 and additional charges apply for Nurse services, investigations, special procedures such as ECG, Minor operations, Medico-legal work, Travel vaccinations etc etc. Please ask practice staff and they will clarify all charges at the time.
All fees have to be paid at the time of service and please collect your receipt which can be used for tax and insurance company claims annually.
Public Contracts like the GMS, Mother and Child Scheme, Vaccination Schemes are very defined and limited service contracts and not all of the services that we provide are automatically covered by these contracts. Please clarify with our staff at any time.
Baby and Child Screening services
1 Two Week Baby Check:
This is done in the practice two weeks after the baby is born and can be booked for either of our baby clinics on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning. This service is part of the Mother and Child Scheme and is free to all patients.
2 Six Week Baby Check:
Again this is a free check to all babies available on Tuesday or Wednesday morning baby clinics by appointment. This is an important examination at which the baby will be weighed, examined and an important early developmental assessment is carried out.
3 Seven Month Baby Check:
This check is designed to find any congenital defect as early as possible and it is an ideal time to assess children for sight, hearing and developmental difficulties. We strongly encourage parents to avail of this test, which is a very pleasant experience for babies and parents. At present, we provide this screening free to our GMS patients and charge a single surgery fee to all non GMS patients. (Public Health Nurses carry out a nurse screening at 9 months, which is free to all children
www.hse.ie/eng/health/child/cfyb2/6-24mths/growthdevelopment/
4 Pre-School Checks:
This is a good time for a general review of your child and their vaccination regime. Usually this is carried out by the Department of Public Health with the pre-school booster. This booster can be provided in the practice if your child does not get it in school.
5 Pre-Secondary School Check:
This is a good time to review general health and development and particularly spinal growth to check for curved spine (Scoliosis), leaflets available.
Vaccination Regime
We strongly recommend that all children receive all of their vaccines and we will discuss any doubts parents may have.
Two Months Vaccination: twice weekly baby clinic by appointment
Four Month Vaccinations: twice weekly baby clinic by appointment
Six Month Vaccinations: twice weekly baby clinic by appointment
Twelve Month Vaccinations: twice weekly baby clinic by appointment
School Booster Vaccination: usually carried out by Department of Public Health, HSE South but can be provided in the practice by arrangement.
End of Primary School Vaccination: usually carried out by Department of Public Health, HSE South.
www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/pubinfo/adult/
Acute Medical Services:
These include all acute medical services normally provided by General Practitioners in Ireland for all age groups, young and old.
This includes Child health, adolescent health, adult health, geriatric health, women’s health, men’s health and screening.
We adhere strongly to the policy of ‘sick today seen today’ and will try to maintain this policy into the future, manpower and resources allowing in these difficult times for General Practice in Ireland.
We deal with all acute illnesses and injuries in all age groups where possible and while recognising our limitations.
Hypertension
High blood pressure is very common and with good management, patients do not have to suffer the complications of this disease. We provide all the necessary assessments and follow up required to best international standards. Just get your blood pressure checked with us.
Chronic Illness
This means any ongoing health problem. There are many chronic illnesses in the community and we try to follow best practice in their management. We will usually have a guideline to follow about these illnesses and please do not hesitate to ask us about your particular problem.
Minor Surgery Sessions
These sessions include surgical treatment of lacerations (cuts), bleeding, lumps and bumps, moles, skin lesions, warts, verrucas, sebaceous cysts, lipomas, abscess evacuation, toenail treatment, superficial cancers and other simple lesions.
We treat these problems by different methods, whichever is best, such as Surgery, Suturing, Cautery (chemical and heat treatment), Cryotherapy (freeze treatment).
Where possible, we provide a full skin biopsy (take samples for laboratory examination) service.
Joint and fascia injections are provided in these sessions to all the major and minor joints as is appropriate for sufferers of arthritis etc.
We are members of the Primary Care Surgical Association whose aim is to promote and develop the skills for surgery in primary care facilities.
Many of these services are covered by the private health insurance policies and some are covered by the GMS.
Practice Nurse Services
The practice nurses have a very large role to play in the treatment and management of patients in the practice. Their skills are many and their role in the practice varies from taking bloods, doing ECG heart examinations, to wound inspections and dressings, providing vaccinations to children and adults for routine vaccinations and foreign travel, co-ordinating our Chronic Disease Management programmes, organising prescriptions according to their qualification, respiratory lung function testing, health and memory screening etc.
Some of the many practice nurse services available through the practice include
Asthma Assessment Clinics,
Diabetes Watch Clinic,
Cardiac Management Clinics-Heartwatch for patients who have had cardiac problems
Coronary Risk Intervention Strategy Programme (CRISP) for screening for heart disease especially in well people with family history of heart / stroke problems or who have risk factors like high Cholesterol, Blood Pressure etc.
Paediatric Screening Clinics @ 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 7 month (not covered under Mother and Child Scheme or GMS)
Wound dressing,
Mini Mental Score Assessments for memory loss etc.
ADULT SCREENING PROGRAMMES AT THE RED HOUSE FAMILY PRACTICE
We provide a variety of screening and assessment programmes both to screen for new health problems and to screen for the problems or complications of certain illnesses.
This process is often referred to in the press as Chronic Disease Management.
Coronary Risk Intervention Strategy Programme (CRISP)
This is a Primary Screening programme for Coronary (heart) disease aimed at picking up people who might be developing heart disease and managing the risk factors of heart disease, stroke etc and has been running in the practice since 1991.
It is aimed at those who have a family history of or have developed one of the risks for heart disease and stroke
The risk factors are a Family member who had heart disease or stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, smoking, diabetes, inflammatory diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis.
The programme is largely nurse run, doctor reviewed and needs regular checks of risk factors depending on response ie 3,6 or 12 monthly checks as needed.
This programme is supported by specifically tailored medical computer software providing very sophisticated calculations of risk.
*Research has shown that this is highly successful in reducing cardiac risk factors.
Heartwatch
This is a national programme and is known as a Secondary screening programme designed for those who have had treatment for an established cardiac problem, like a coronary or have had heart surgery.
It is very similar to CRISP but it is overseen and run by the Irish College of General Practitioners who collate national statistics.
All participants return to the surgery three monthly for risk assessment and blood checks and review of treatments and with the assistance of computers we are able to get the best possible results for the patients. It is a very successful programme and is the largest cardiac programme worldwide.
*Research has shown that this programme substantially improves quality of life and life expectancy
www.hse.ie/eng/services/publications/topics/Heart/Ireland
DIABETES WATCH
The Red House Family Practice have a very long and proud history of providing organised care for our diabetic patients going back over the last 25 years.
We audit our results annually and compare to best international standards to confirm the quality of the care we provide.
We are a member of the Diabetes in General Practice group (DiGP) AND associated with several national groups whose aim in to provide the highest quality service to our Diabetic patients.
This usually requires 3 visits to the surgery annually to check ‘risk factors’ like blood sugars, HbA1c, Cholesterol, Weight, BMI, Smoking, Alcohol, Blood Pressure, Exercise, Foot care, Skin care and sensation, Urine, Heart function, Diet, Drug therapy and potential side effects of drug therapy.
We also check yearly at least, kidney function, iron levels and sight for developing problems.
In association with the other general practices in MPHC, we are able to provide extra services for our diabetic patients through the 4th Practice, MPHC, ie Diabetes Nurse Specialist services and Diabetes Retinopathy Screening.
*Research has shown that Diabetes is a very manageable disease when a chronic disease management programme is provided in general practice and most of the terrible consequences can be avoided by proper timely treatment.
If you have a family member who has diabetes, then ask us about screening which is easily organised in the practice and done by our practice nurses.
Preventive Health Screening
This is a full assessment of physical, medical and biochemical markers of people and their state of health. We take into account the persons age, sex, present illnesses, work environment, family history of illness, personal habits like alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, diet, exercise.
This is a full health screen tailored to the individual.
All potential risk factors will be discussed and advice given on how best to manage into the future.
Our Preventive Health Screening, Cardiac screening is backed up in MPHC 4TH Practice by full Cardiac service provided through Munster Cardiac Services with ECHO (ultrasound test) and Stress testing available and run by our 2 visiting cardiologists please see www.munstercardiacservices.ie
Asthma Assessments
Our Nurses have received extra training in the diagnosis and management of Asthma and so we provide Asthma Screening sessions to confirm diagnosis as well as management sessions in accordance with guidelines of Royal College of Physicians London and the Irish College of General Practitioners in Ireland.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Assessment
We provide special assessments and long term management for those with COPD.
For severe and unrelenting respiratory illness, the 4th Practice, MPHC Respiratory Department provide a full respiratory assessment and run by our 2 visiting Respiratory physicians—see
www.mphc.ie/the-4th-practice/enhanced-medical-services/
Women’s Health
The practice has a long tradition of providing complete women’s health programmes
Cervical Cancer Screening
The doctors and nurses do all smear tests in the practice, by appointment, in accordance with the National Cervical Screening Programme.
Leaflets are available in the practice and it is necessary to register nationally with this programme to get a free smear examination done.
Please ask at reception for help if you have any difficulty organising this.
Antenatal services
Our practice participates in the national ‘ Mother and Infant Scheme’ and we provide antenatal care for all expectant mothers in conjunction with the Cork University Maternity Hospital.
Please see re maternity entitlements etc.—
www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/3/maternity/
Family Planning
We provide a full family planning service within the practice including the insertion of Implanon (contraceptive bar), Mirena, Jeydess and copper coils.
Menopausal Assessment Sessions
These can be organised to give accurate diagnosis and organise future care and treatments re HRT, Osteoporosis etc.
Haemochromatosis
This is a common genetic problem in the Irish population caused by too much iron in the blood. We manage our patients to best international standards and follow the British Haematological Society recommendations including the provision of full phlebotomy services.
Occupational Health Services
This includes pre employment assessments, employment management services, Medical & Eyesight tests for driving license and insurance risk assessments, smoking cessation courses, occupational disease management.
Ancillary Medical Services
The 4TH Practice MPHC was set up to provide pre-hospital care, that was more than was available in Ireland before and to alleviate the pressure on the hospital systems by providing as much care as possible in the community.
This is the aim of the Primary Care Strategy, which we embraced fully and have delivered our part of the arrangement.
The services available to date are
To avail of these enhanced medical services, then please go to
www.mphc.ie/the-4th-practice/enhanced-medical-services/
The Red House Family Practice provides cradle to grave services and many of these services are provided in co-operation with other community based organisations and services.
Health Services Executive
The HSE provide full ancillary services to the part of the population covered by medical cards.
To see the fully range of HSE services please go www.hse.ie
Public Health Nurses
In particular, we have close links with our colleagues in the HSE Public Health Nursing department on a daily basis, for the care and management of those patients house bound, requiring major wound and ulcer dressing regimes, care of the elderly, end of life care in the community and the other end of life’s spectrum, babies and mums in the post natal period.
With our end of life care policy, we also have close links with the Palliative Care Team and interact on an almost daily basis with the community based team from Marymount Hospital & Hospice, Curraheen, Cork www.marymount.ie
Mental health in the community means that we have very close links with the Community Psychiatric Nurses in the area and one of our proudest moments in MPHC was when the community psychiatric services opened here and for the first time in this community, both physically ill and mentally ill patients came in the same front door without distinction.