Welcome to Ivel Medical Centre 

Ivel Medical Centre in Biggleswade aims to provide the highest quality healthcare to patients. Our doctors, nurses and all our other staff are dedicated to offering a professional service and this surgery website will help us to keep all our patients up to date with news and information about our practice.

As well as a source of information about our practice, the staff and the services we provide, we hope you will use this website as a useful resource for other health-related information. Please have a look around 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 site.

EXTENDED ACCESS TO GP APPOINTMENTS

Appointments with a GP or a Practice Nurse are now available in the evenings and weekends for all patients registered with the Ivel Medical Centre, and other Practices within Central Bedfordshire and Bedford areas.  These are called "Extended Access Appointments".  Practices are working together to provide these appointments to increase access to healthcare at times that are convenient to patients.  They may be evening appointments between 6.30pm and 8pm or weekend appointments, both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Appointments for this service can be made by telephoning the surgery, you may be offered an appointment at this Practice, or another Practice within the area, and it may be made with a GP or a Practice Nurse from another Practice.  The reception team will confirm all the information, the time of the appointment and the location at the time of booking.  You will receive a text confirmation of the appointment.  These appointments are not currently available to book online. These appointments are in addition to the normal surgery appointments here at the Ivel Medical Centre.

FLU VACCINATIONS - LIMITED STOCK - BOOK NOW!!!!

Please contact the surgery to book your flu vaccination appointment, if you are in one of the at risk categories, or over 65 years of age.

Fluenz Nasal Spray for Children aged 2 – 3 yrs and those children in an at risk group in school years 6 to age 17 PLEASE BOOK AT RECEPTION

Your GP encourages you to have your vaccine here so that we can check your records for eligibility for other important vaccines such as Shingles and Pneumonia. The funding received from giving you your flu vaccination enables us to provide other services throughout  the year - services that only we provide

Staff Retirement

Judy Baggallay, our Minor Illness Nurse will be retiring on 31st January 2019, after almost 20 years dedicated service with the Ivel Medical Centre.  Judy has looked after many of our patients for chronic conditions, as well as treating for minor illness, and travel vaccinations.

She loves to travel herself, so will be able to spend more time visiting new and exciting places.  

We have all thoroughly enjoyed working with her, and we know that you will all join us in thanking her for the last  20 years at the Ivel Medical Centre, and wish her a very happy retirement.

Electronic Prescription Service

The Practice transferred to EPS with effect from 01.10.18.

This will mean that if you are registered with a Pharmacy, your prescriptions will be sent electronically to them.  It will make the process easier and more efficient for the patients, the Pharmacies and the Practice.  If you do not already have a nominated Pharmacy, you can discuss the process with them, and register.  You can still come to the surgery to pick up your prescription yourself if you prefer.

Important information regarding your repeat prescriptions!

Community pharmacies will soon no longer be able to order medication on your behalf (exclusions apply for vulnerable patients)

Patients are requested to take responsibility for ordering their own medication to ensure safe and responsible ordering, reduce errors, and to prevent unnecessary medicine waste.

There are various ways in which you can order your regular medications, for example -

• on-line - via SystmOne, (you will need to register to be issued with a username and a password)
• by dropping the prescription request into the surgery 
• by sending the prescription request in the post.

If you use a nominated pharmacy to collect and supply,your medication, this will continue. 

For more information, contact the surgery and speak to the reception team.

New Minor Eye Condition service

This is a free service offered at participating opticians for patients who have a minor eye condition. This is to save GP appointments and prevent A&E attendances. Please see the page on the Clinics & Services section for more information about the conditions that can be seen by this service and which opticians are participating.

Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service

To contact this service please phone 0208 045 4254 or 0330 1331 1027.

For further help and information click here or see the NEPTS page in the Further Information section.

When the surgery is closed:

For medical assistance out of hours please phone NHS 111.

Save time – do it online!

GP online services gives patients the option to book appointments, request repeat prescriptions and view their GP records, using their computer, tablet or smartphone rather than having to phone or visit their practice.

Online services complement the existing ways patients can access appointments, prescriptions and their records. Our practices already have the facility to offer online access to records and transactional services for our patients.

If you are not already registered for GP online services please let a member of the practice team know you would like to use this service.

Would you recommend our Practice?

Please tell us what you think by going to the Friends and Family Test here and answering one quick question.

Important Notice for Patients on Warfarin

Due to a change in prescribing regulations you must now bring your yellow book to all medication review, Diabetic and Heart Clinic appointments. You must also bring your yellow book when collecting prescriptions from our Dispensary.

We cannot issue your prescription without having seen the book. 

You are now able to book blood test appointments via the Access the Appointment system icon below. A limited number per clinic will be available to book online.

Urgent Care - Public Consultation

A public consultation is underway about the proposal to change the way we provide urgent care. The proposal is to close the Walk-in Centre at Putnoe, Bedford and replace the service with an Urgent Treatment Centre sited at Bedford Hospital.  The CCG is very keen to involve as many local people as possible and hear their views.  Take the survey via the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PutnoeWalkIn