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Appointments
To understand how to book any appointments, whether in advance or on the day, please see the appointments section

Out of Hours
If you need a doctor in an emergency from 6.30pm to 8.00am weekdays, weekends and bank holidays, ring 0845 408 8000 or, for medical advice, ring an NHS Direct nurse on 0845 4647.

Test Results
Please try to call in during surgery hours or telephone 764244 between 11.00am and 12.30pm for any results of blood tests, x-rays etc. Give your full name, address and date on which your test was carried out.

Announcements

01 Sep - 01 Oct
NHS Smokefree

Find out about all of the free NHS services available to support you as you go try to give up smoking.

01 Aug - 01 Oct
NHS Summer Health

Stay safe in the sun, including sunscreens, sunburn relief, heat exhaustion, eczema and moles. Summer holidays are great fun for children, but can bring risks. Find out more

01 Jul - 01 Oct
Change for Life

Would you like loads of tips and help to make changes for a healthier future? As part of Change4Life, you will receive tons of helpful information, recipes, tools, tips, and games for the kids.

Yahoo Health

Can home cooking be hazardous to your health? (AP)

AP - Could your kitchen at home pass a restaurant inspection?

Botox maker to pay $600M to resolve investigation (AP)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg speaks to reporters during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Wednesday, Sep. 1, 2010, regarding a major settlement with a pharmaceutical company for False Claims Act and off-label marketing violations. Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a years long federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

AP - Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a yearslong federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug.

New test seen as big advance in diagnosing TB (AP)

This undated photo released by Cepheid, shows a Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF cartridge. The cartridge is part of a test that is a major advance in diagnosing tuberculosis and can reveal in less than two hours, with very high accuracy, whether someone has the disease and if it's resistant to the main drug for treating it. (AP Photo/Cepheid) NO SALES

AP - Scientists are reporting a major advance in diagnosing tuberculosis: A new test can reveal in less than two hours, with very high accuracy, whether someone has the disease and if it's resistant to the main drug for treating it.

Journal editors question sale of diet pill Meridia (AP)

AP - Editors of a top medical journal call Meridia "another flawed diet pill" and question whether it should stay on the market as a study shows it raises the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with heart problems.

Benefits seen for high-risk women in ovary removal (AP)

AP - Surgery to remove healthy ovaries gives a triple benefit to high-risk women: It lowers their threat of breast and ovarian cancer, and boosts their chances of living longer, new research suggests.

Double hand transplant patient shows new hands (AP)

Dr. Richard Edwards scratches his face with one of his new hands during a news conference at Jewish Hospital, in Louisville Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. The 55-year-old chiropractor from Edmond, Okla., had his hands severely burned in a fire in 2006. Edwards says he can wiggle fingers on both his new hands. He was the nation's third double hand transplant recipient. (AP Photo/The Courier Journal, Michael Hayman) No sales No mags No archives

AP - The recipient of a rare double hand transplant says he feels "fantastic" and can wiggle fingers on both his new hands.

Study: Diet Drug Meridia May Boost Heart Risks (Time.com)

Time.com - A new study finds that some users of the weight-loss pill Meridia may have an increased risk of heart attack or stroke

For Bonobo Males, Mom Is the Best Wingman (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - To most human males, the thought of your mother anywhere near your sex life is probably horrifying. Not so for the bonobo, one of our closest primate relatives. A new study confirms that hanging out with mom boosts male bonobos' chances of getting intimate with a fertile female.

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 3, 2010 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

Sickle Cell Kids at Greater Risk of 'Swine Flu' Complications (HealthDay)

HealthDay - FRIDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Children with sickle cell disease experience more life-threatening complications from the H1N1 swine flu than from seasonal flu, a new study has found.

MedPage Today

OSHA Should Dictate Residents' Hours, Group Says

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The consumer group Public Citizen is urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to regulate the work hours of resident physicians.

Four Factors Increase Risk of Opioid Dependence (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- A combination of four factors appears to significantly increase the risk of opioid dependence among patients taking prescription painkillers, researchers have found.

Low IgG Poses Infection Risk With Rituximab (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Certain subgroups of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly those who have low levels of IgG, are at risk for severe infections when treated with rituximab, French investigators found.

ESC: Stockholm Take Home Message -- Watch the Anti-Warfarins

STOCKHOLM (MedPage Today) -- An investigational antiplatelet -- ticagrelor (Brilinta) -- emerged as a big winner from the five-day long European Society of Cardiology congress, but the buzz here focused instead on a trio of investigational oral anticoagulants -- dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban.

Admitting Clinical Errors Not Always Best Policy

(MedPage Today) -- Wide-scale disclosure of clinical errors seems intuitively to be the ethical choice for hospitals and physicians, but researchers from the University of Washington suggest that disclosure should be decided on a case-by-case basis rather than a one-size-fits-all solution

PTSD May Be Risk Factor for Dementia (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Older veterans with a history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at increased risk for developing dementia, even if they had not been wounded in battle, researchers found.

Employees Pay More and Get Less from Medical Coverage

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- This year workers paid 14% more for their employer-sponsored healthcare coverage than they did last year as a bigger chunk of healthcare costs shifted from employers to employees, according to a new survey.

Room Air Matches Oxygen for Dyspnea Relief (CME/CE, with audio)

(MedPage Today) -- Oxygen therapy isn't any better than regular room air to ease refractory dyspnea at the end of life, a multinational trial showed.

States Buck Parts of Federal Reform Law

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- A Republican governor and a Democratic senator are both attempting to exempt their respective states from following certain provisions of the new healthcare reform law, signaling what could emerge as a trend of states trying to distance themselves from the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Cough, Wheezing Raise Risk in Kids' Anesthesia (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Children with a dry cough at night or wheezing during exercise are at elevated risk of respiratory adverse events during and after general anesthesia, researchers reported.

WHO Swine Flu

Influenza - update 115

Worldwide, H1N1 2009 virus transmission remains most intense in parts of India and in parts of the temperate southern hemisphere, particularly New Zealand and more recently in Australia.

Influenza - update 114

The situation in New Zealand and India remains largely unchanged since the last update. Influenza H1N1 (2009) virus transmission remains locally intense in parts of India and New Zealand.

Influenza - update 113

Influenza H1N1 (2009) virus transmission remains locally intense in parts of India and New Zealand.

Director-General statement following the ninth meeting of the Emergency Committee

The Emergency Committee held its ninth meeting by teleconference on 10 August 2010.

WHO recommendations for the post-pandemic period

The world is now in the post-pandemic period. Based on knowledge about past pandemics, the H1N1 (2009) virus is expected to continue to circulate as a seasonal virus for some years to come. While the level of concern is now greatly diminished, vigilance on the part of national health authorities remains important. Such vigilance is especially critical in the immediate post-pandemic period, when the behaviour of the H1N1 (2009) virus as a seasonal virus cannot be reliably predicted.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 112

As of 1 August 2010, worldwide more than 214 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 18449 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 111

As of 25 July 2010, worldwide more than 214 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 18398 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 110

As of 18 July 2010, worldwide more than 214 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 18366 deaths.

Monitoring patterns and levels of worldwide activity

As part of regular monitoring of H1N1 pandemic influenza, the WHO is in close dialogue with public health experts in countries worldwide, specifically to determine whether H1N1 activity has returned to levels and patterns normally seen for seasonal flu.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 109

As of 12 July, worldwide more than 214 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 18337deaths.

Changes to Surgery Hours : Lunch Time Closing

From 1st February 2010, we will be closed from 1pm to 2pm each weekday. During this hour, we will still be available to receive emergency calls via our switchboard.

We apologise if this change inconveniences any of our patients.

This decision has been made to better manage all of the services we provide at our busier times in the mornings, afternoons and early evenings.

Important Information About Infection Control

To improve infection control we ask all patients who visit the medical centre to use hand sanitisers, which have been strategically placed around the surgery.

News regarding building extension plans to increase clinical facilities at Highbridge Medical Centre

chd Please have a look around the site and do send us some feedback if you like. We can use your ideas to improve our online services and further develop the content of this website, making it a more useful, practical tool for everybody.

Understanding our Appointments System

Use Appointments ONLINE to book your appointment with our doctors in advance.

If you are registered for EMIS Access you can order your repeat medications online by clicking the logo below (find out more about EMIS Access here). If you are not registered you can still order by using email by clicking the Order Repeat Medication link at the bottom of this page.

The only EMIS Access feature that our patients can use at present is the repeat medications ordering facility. To book appointments in advance with a doctor, see Appointments Online.

Further Information

For quick medical advice online or on the telephone contact NHS Direct

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