Our GPs offer minor surgery clinics for clinically indicated skin lesions. Appointments for minor surgery can only be made after a GP consultation to assess.

Minor injury and wound care – our nurses are able to remove stitches and dress and care for minor injuries and wounds.  However, patients with more severe and urgent wounds and injuries are advised to attend the Herts and Essex hospital in Bishop Stortford or A&E. 

• Smoking cessation, operated by our nurses 
• Health checks, provided by healthcare assistants, for new patients and patients over 45.
• Smears, contractive pill services, contraceptive injections, menopause advise and HRT checks, provided by nurses
• Coil fittings and implants, provided by selected GPs
• Chlamydia tests and C-Card services provided by our nurses
• Pre and post natal services are led by midwifes and health visitors, with the surgery providing
• Antenatal blood tests and GP review at 16, 28 and 38 weeks of pregnancy
• GP Post-natal check of mothers at 6 weeks and babies at 8 weeks.
• Ear syringing, provided by healthcare assistant
• Blood pressure monitoring by healthcare assistants
• Childhood Immunisations

• Diabetic clinic every two weeks, with a GP and nurse specialising in diabetes, and a dietician 
• Weekly nurse-led Asthma/COPD clinics
• Annual mental health reviews and care plans for all patients with a current condition
• Annual review for patients with hypertension
• Annual medication reviews for all patients on long-term repeat medication
• On-going review, monitoring and care plans for patients with heart disease, kidney disease,  epilepsy, dementia, hypothyroidism, cancer and history of stroke/TIA.

Private Work Fees

Thaxted Surgery requires patients to pay in advance for any non NHS services. This is from immediate effect 21.07.2025.

Why are fees charged?

Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. The government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients. However, in recent years more and more organisations have been involving doctors in a wide range of non NHS work.

Do GPs have to do non-NHS work for their patients?

With certain limited exceptions, GPs do not have to carry our non-NHS work. Many GPs however will always attempt to assist their patients and carry out this work.

Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form/letter?

Time spent completing forms & preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of patients which will always have top priority. GPs have an ever increasing workload of forms which must be prioritised against offering appointments and other urgent administration. We aim to complete non-NHS work within 28 working days of receipt of payment.

I only need the GP’s signature – what’s the problem?

When a GP signs a certificate, completes a report or writes a letter it is a condition of remaining on the medical register (which allows them to practice as a doctor), that they only sign what they know to be true. In order to complete even the simplest of forms, the doctor may have to check a patient’s entire medical record.

How should I pay the fee?

We will send an invoice to your email or for collection at reception if you prefer. Please pay the requested amount by bank transfer using the invoice number as a reference. If you don’t use online banking you can pay at reception over the counter.

Examples include the following:

• Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
• Insurance claim forms
• Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
• Private sick notes
• Vaccination certificates

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability.

Click https://practice365.co.uk/uploads/sites/2167/2025/07/Fees-for-Non-NHS-work-July-2025.pdf for current rates.

To help us offer the appropriate advice about Travel Vaccinations, please fill out the online travel questionnaire (see link below), and return it to the nurse a week before your appointment. This is to ensure that we have all the required vaccinations in stock before your appointment.

Select the region you are travelling to find out more.

Africa

Central Asia

East Asia

Australasia & Pacific

Caribbean

Central America

Europe & Russia

Middle East

North America

South America & Antarctica

Travel Assessment Form

At Thaxted Surgery we are actively engaged in Research. This keeps us up to date with new and emerging thinking, and sometimes allows us to offer treatments that otherwise might not be available. We only involve individual patients in research after a careful process to ensure the individual fully understands the implications and gives informed consent.

We work in partnership with The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), which is the research arm of the NHS. It’s role is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. The Primary Care Research Network (PCRN) helps GP’s and community services to be involved in research.

We are currently working with Barts Health NHS Trust in forming an Uttlesford Research Hub and Spoke Model in our area. We are negotiating with Newport surgery to join our Hub, and hope to grow even further in the future.

“Patients are at the centre of our work. We ensure that the research we support is relevant to and benefit those who use primary care services by involving patients and the public at all stages of the research process.”

From NIHR website.

Some of the studies we have participated in at Thaxted Surgery are:

Rapsid, Diabetes Help and Dare (Diabetes), Clarify (Heart Disease), Perform (Depressive Disorders), 3C and Target (Cough studies), and DPIM (Bipolar disorders) and Internet Doctor (On-line assessment and advise regarding respiratory tract infections), Pathway (Hypertension), Living with Breathlessness (COPD), PMR (Polymyalgia Rheumatica), AFFIRM (asthma), Barack D (Chronic Kidney Disease), TIME (Hypertension), Rhinitis, Late onset Depression, HELP Diabetes, HEAT (H Pylori), FAST (asthma), AFFIRM (asthma), NSRS (Feno),  ELIOT, CLASP (Parkinsons), TAMSIN, SPRINT and RIVER.

To find out more about research:

• Research slideshow
• PCRN website: crncc.nihr.ac.uk/about_us/pcrn/primary_care_patients/pc_participation.htm
• Get in touch with INVOLVE, a national group supporting public involvement in research: invo.org.uk/
• People in Research. This site has a searchable database of involvement opportunities: peopleinresearch.org/
• For more general information on patient participation at practice level, please look at napp.org.uk