Primary Care is your first point of contact with healthcare and your front door to care with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Primary Care services have evolved, and it’s crucial that you and your loved ones are well-informed and empowered to access the right professional at the right time. It’s also important to know when it’s appropriate to stay at home and care for yourself.
You have a range of support services available that complement and enhance GP care, including advanced nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physiotherapists, vaccination nurses, and community links workers who focus on social and wellbeing support. Additionally, you can access services like dentists and optometrists in your local area.
These professionals are part of your Primary Care team. To help you feel confident in seeking the right help, we’ve highlighted some of our NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Primary Care roles.
Click on each one below to learn more about their roles, how they can assist you, and how you can reach them.
Remember, it’s also important to utilise the resources available to you when you have a health concern. Before contacting any healthcare professional, consider using online resources, as your symptoms might be manageable at home. Helpful tools include symptom finder on NHS Inform and the NHS 24 app.
Click below to hear what’s available to you in Primary Care
Pregnancy is a great opportunity for change and stopping smoking is the best thing you can do for your baby
Welcome to NHS GGC: Quit Your Way Pregnancy Service
Here you will find information to help you if you are thinking about stopping smoking or vaping, or if you want to help or encourage someone you know to stop smoking.
We are not here to tell you all the bad things about smoking as you already know what they are.
We are here to help, advise, encourage, motivate and support you at every step of your journey. We will tailor a unique programme for you and support you in that programme. And if you don’t succeed at first, we will not judge or criticise. We will help you to review what you have achieved and will continue to work with you until you succeed. There is also support available to help you and your family and friends too.
Many people can quit on their own, but evidence shows you are three times more likely to successfully quit and stay smoke-free by quitting with our help.
With your determination and commitment, and our encouragement and support, we are confident you can be smoke-free.
£220 Financial Incentives
Most smokers want to quit. They know it’s bad for their health and their baby. They know it is costing them greatly but cigarettes were designed to make quitting difficult. If there was something we could do to make it easier to stop smoking – shouldn’t we?
Financial incentives in pregnancy are one the most effective ways of helping women to quit and remain quit post-partum. Women receiving incentives are more than twice as likely to quit compared to those not receiving incentives.
Are you pregnant and want to stop smoking?
The Quit Your Way Pregnancy Service offers financial incentives in the form of e-vouchers that can be used at various supermarkets worth up to £220.
Earn your first £40 just by attending your telephone stop-smoking appointment and give your quit a go for seven days.
Please click the blue button below to download the incentives leaflet for more information.
When you smoke, your baby does too. Every cigarette contains 4,000 chemicals, which go into your lungs when you smoke. Once in your lungs, the nicotine, poisons and carbon monoxide cross the placenta to your baby. This affects baby and restricts the amount of oxygen the baby gets.
How Smoking harms your baby
Every time a pregnant mum smokes it affects her baby’s growth and development and causes her baby’s heart to beat harder.
Continuing to smoke during pregnancy increases the risk of: • Miscarriage • Stillbirth • Low birthweight • Premature birth • Baby having a cleft lip/palate
Smoking when pregnant can also affect your child as they grow up. Babies and children whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are also at great risk of: • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) • Colic • Infections in the airways • Ear infections • Asthma • Conditions such as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). • Psychological problems in childhood: disruptive behaviour and poor educational performance
Stopping smoking will help you and your baby immediately. When you stop smoking, it only takes 24 hours for the poisonous gas carbon monoxide to clear from your bloodstream. Your baby will quickly start getting more oxygen through the placenta and you will instantly start to reduce the risk of complications in your pregnancy and during baby’s birth.
Carbon Monoxide and your baby
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless and tasteless poisonous gas. You can’t see it or smell it, but it is in cigarette smoke. CO is also in faulty gas boilers, car exhaust fumes, burning coal, wood, oil.
If you are exposed to carbon monoxide: the CO replaces some of the oxygen going into your lungs and gets into your bloodstream. This prevents the red blood cells from carrying oxygen around your body and to your baby. It is dangerous because it deprives the baby of oxygen, slows the baby’s growth and development, and increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
CO Breath test: NHSGGC offer CO testing to all pregnant women at their first booking appointment and subsequent appointments to show how much of this gas you and your baby have been exposed to.
Second hand smoke can affect you and your baby before and after their birth. More than 80% of second hand smoke is invisible and doesn’t smell.
Exposure to second hand smoke can increase the risk of: • Premature birth • Low birth weight • Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy (SUDI)
Babies whose parents smoke are also more likely to be admitted to hospital during the first year of life, as they are more likely to develop infections that can affect their breathing, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.
If you smoke, you will find it harder to quit if someone living with you also smokes.
It doesn’t matter how careful others think they are about keeping smoke away from you. If someone smokes in your home, you and your baby still breath in the harmful poisons. Opening windows and doors or smoking in another room will not make it completely safe.
For more information on second hand smoke and making your home smoke-free, please phone 07796 937 679 or email: ggc.quityourway.pregnancy@nhs.scot
Current research about e-cigarette use in pregnancy shows that they are significantly less harmful to health than cigarettes. If using an e-cigarette (vaping) helps you stay smoke free, this is far safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke.
E-cigarettes are regulated in the UK but they are not currently licensed as a stop smoking aid. If you choose to use an e-cigarette to help you to quit smoking tobacco it is important to ensure you buy one from a reputable retailer to minimise the risk of harm.
You can discuss the risk and benefits of e-cigarettes with Quit Your Way pregnancy services. They can also discuss the option of using nicotine replacement therapy, which is licensed and can be prescribed to support you with your quit attempt.
Many NRT products are licensed to use in pregnancy. NRT contains only nicotine and none of the damaging chemicals found in cigarettes, so it is a better option than continuing to smoke. It helps you by giving you the nicotine you would have had from a cigarette. The Quit Your Way Pregnancy Practitioner can arrange for you to have NRT during your pregnancy. This can be in the form of patches, gum, lozenges, mouth spray or an inhalator.
Inpatients: You can also access NRT during your stay in hospital, please ask your midwife if you are interested in this.
Staying Stopped after baby’s birth
Once your baby is here you may feel as though your reason for giving up smoking is over – but it isn’t! It’s still very important you stay stopped after pregnancy. Think of what you have achieved by stopping smoking during your pregnancy – you should feel so proud!
Remaining smoke-free will result in lots of health benefits for you and your baby. Think of the money you can save to spend on your baby, or on a treat for yourself.
Research shows that children of smoking parents are more likely to try smoking and become regular smokers. If you don’t want your children to smoke, it’s best to set a smoke-free example.
We know that stopping smoking is not an easy thing to do on your own but we are here to help. Quit Your Way services help thousands of people in Scotland stop smoking every year. Smoking is an addiction that for most smokers is hard to quit. We are confident that with our help you can quit, and with encouragement and support make your life and the lives of those around you smoke-free.
Next steps… You’ve already made the first step by looking through this website. The next step is to contact us and have a chat with one of our advisers! Phone: 07796 937 679 Email: ggc.quityourway.pregnancy@nhs.scot
From here you can access a wide-range of information on child and maternity healthcare services, including guidance and support available, both in our hospitals and in the community.
The Frontline Equality Assessment Tool (FEAT) has been designed to ensure that every service gets it right every time for all our patients.
Developed in response to feedback from our staff on areas where they feel NHSGGC could be doing better, the Tool also takes into account evidence from the experiences of our patients.
The FEAT focusses on assessing how we can fully meet the needs of all our patients within frontline services. It will be used by lead members of local service teams in collaboration with the Equality and Human Rights Team to look at patient flow and integration of inequalities sensitive practice.
This will involve reviewing how patient data is collected, how communication support is assessed, knowledge of protected characteristic-related issues and associated policies and protocols as well as the impact on discharge planning.
By translating the language of legislation into practical steps for staff, the FEAT offers a sense check which highlights both where there are gaps in services’ inequalities sensitive practice and where there are examples of good practice which could be replicated in other services.
William Edwards, Chief Operating Officer, NHSGGC
“The Frontline Equality Assessment Tool is a great addition to our processes to enable us to understand and meet the needs of our patients with protected characteristics. Not only will it help us identify where we can take positive action but will also capture where good practice is underway and share across all wards and services.”
Alastair Low, Interim Manager, NHSGGC Equality and Human Rights Team
“Equality legislation can sometimes be seen as distinct or detached from the daily interactions that are at the heart of everything we do. We want to help change that perspective. The time we spend visiting departments will strengthen our understanding of equality legislation and its role in delivering effective, efficient and inclusive services.”
The Equality and Human Rights Team is currently visiting Acute departments across NHSGGC as part of a scheduled programme of Frontline Equality Assessments. This involves a rapid physical access assessment and a short, semi-structured interview with a representative from the department. Both aspects highlight what’s working well and where support can be offered.
Pharmacies located within Health Centres will be closed on Monday 30th September 2024 in line with other services provided from these locations. Below you can find a list of the pharmacies that will be open on Monday 30th September 2024.
The details below were correct as of Tuesday 10th September 2024.
To confirm details, please contact the pharmacy on the number provided.
Healthy eating is essential to keep you and your baby healthy during pregnancy. Visit Ready Steady Baby |Eating well in pregnancy for more information about healthy eating during pregnancy.
During pregnancy, some vitamins are important to take. This page will tell you more about them and how to get these vitamins for free!
You will get Free Healthy Start vitamins throughout your pregnancy from your Midwife. These supplements contain folic acid, vitamin D and vitamin C to support you and your growing baby.
Healthy Start vitamins
Healthy Start vitamins are suitable for vegetarians and free from wheat, fish, egg, and salt. Contain no colours, flavours or preservatives.
Not suitable for vegans due to the source of vitamin D.
For those who are taking 5 milligram of Folic Acid, your GP will prescribe this. The Healthy Start Vitamins can be taken at the same time.
Ask your midwife for more information.
Folic Acid
Healthy Start contains your recommended 400 micrograms of Folic Acid. Folic Acid will help your baby’s spine properly during pregnancy. Stops Neural tube defects such as Spina Bifida, which affects how the spine is formed. During pregnancy, you need more folic acid to support your baby’s development, which is hard to get from your diet alone.
Vitamin D
Healthy Start vitamins contains your recommended 10 micrograms of vitamin D.
Vitamin D helps our body absorb calcium to keep our bones and teeth healthy. Low vitamin D levels can cause • Seizures in babies after birth • Vitamin D deficiency can cause problems and pain in the bones. This will be rickets in children. Sources of vitamin D are limited. The best source of vitamin D is the sun and dietary sources are limited.
Vitamin C
Healthy Start vitamins contain 70 micrograms of vitamin C. • Vitamin C helps your body to absorb iron. • Boosts your immune system. • To help your body make collagen and protect your cells.https://www.nhsggc.scot/downloads/health-start/
Your Midwife will be there to support you throughout your pregnancy and will be happy to answer any questions.
This page provides information on person-centred visiting in our mental health wards. Information about visiting in all other areas can be found on our Person Centred Visiting page.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are the person in hospital
On admission to the ward, you will be asked about your preferences for visitors. Your family and/or significant others can also contribute to this. We will record this on a visiting form which will be kept with your care plan.
Can my children visit?
The importance of maintaining family connections with your children, when you are in hospital, is important. We will discuss this with you and your family at admission and during your hospital stay. Where possible, we will facilitate visits in a designated family area.
If you are the visitor
We have no set visiting times. This means you can be here to support your family member or friend at any time during the day. Please discuss with your family member or friend what they would like in terms of visits and what times would work best for you both, then talk to ward staff about your plans.
There may be times when visiting takes place in a communal area or visiting room, the nursing staff will advise where visiting is offered in each ward.
Should you need to access an area out with the dedicated visiting area, please speak to the nurse in charge.
Can I visit during mealtimes?
In those Mental Health wards where visiting can only take place in dining rooms, family support during mealtimes will be discussed and agreed as part of individual visiting and care plans, in conjunction with the individual, the people who matter to them and staff.
As a visitor, what safety measures do I need to follow?
To ensure a safe environment and that of yourself and others, please discuss with the nurse in charge what is safe and not safe to take into the ward. Examples of items not deemed safe are glass bottles, knifes, medications and plastic bags. Any electrical equipment should be handed into staff to be safety checked.
Can I take my family member out of the ward when I visit?
We recognise the benefits of having the opportunity to spend time with those visiting away from the immediate ward. However, there may be times when this is not possible. Please discuss this with the nurse in charge, and always let the nurse in charge know when you are going out of the ward with your family member.
Returning following time off the ward with family member
It is important for staff to know when patients have returned to the ward. This ensures that staff maintain overall safety and activity on the ward, and allows staff to plan therapeutic engagement. In addition, this provides family members with the opportunity to feedback to staff on how the visit has gone and ask any questions regarding this.
Medicines waste costs NHSGGC £100,000 every day – we need your help to tackle it. We have launched a campaign to reduce medicines waste – for the good of people’s health, to support NHS services and to help the environment.
NHS finances are under significant pressure, and we can all do our bit to help, whether you are a patient, a concerned member of the public or a medical professional. By reducing medicines waste we can potentially save huge amounts of money. Money better spent ensuring our patients get the treatment they need.
What would £100,000 pay for?
More than 40 cataract operations
More than 6 hip replacements
More than 4 kidney transplants
It also equates to a day’s wages for more than 700 nurses, or more than 200 hospital consultants.
Small steps, big impact
There are things we can all do to help reduce waste:
Resist the urge to over-order medicines: Check what medicines you have at home before you re-order, and only order what you really need when you need it
Take control of your medication: Speak to your GP, pharmacy team or nurse about reviewing your medication to make sure they are still right for you
Know how to dispose of unused medicines: If you have medicines at home that are out of date or no longer required, return them to your local pharmacy for safe disposal.
Take control of your medication – ask for a medicines review
Contact your GP practice and ask to be referred to the GP practice pharmacy team to discuss if your prescription is still right for you.
It is important that patients check in regularly to make sure the prescription they receive is right for them.
If you receive a repeat or serial prescription, contact your GP practice and ask to be referred to the GP practice pharmacy team for a medicines review, or ask your community pharmacist for advice.
Our pharmacy teams are here to help your with your medicines, and they will work with you to make sure the medications you receive are right for you.
As well as being beneficial for your care, medication reviews help reduce medicines waste.
If I don’t use my medicines, I can return them for someone else to use
Medicines cannot be reused or recycled once they have been dispensed to you.
It’s OK for me to order extra medicines so I don’t run out
Over-ordering can lead to medicines going to waste if your prescription or health needs change. Please try to order only what you need, when you need it.
I’ve been taking these for years. I must still need them
If anything has changed with your health, you may not need some of your medicines anymore. Please contact your GP practice or pharmacist to arrange a medication review.
Prescriptions are free in Scotland. They don’t cost anything
Though you are not charged for your prescription medication, it still has a cost to the NHS, and the environment. It costs £11 on average for each individual medicine dispensed across Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and around 10% of the medicines dispensed, go to waste.
The GP Out Of Hours (GPOOH) service in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde provides urgent care to patients when their regular GP service is closed. These services are designed to handle non-life-threatening medical issues that require attention outside regular working hours, such as evenings, weekends, and public holidays.
Current GPOOH Service
The GP Out Of Hours service has been developed as an appointment-based model, that can be accessed by phoning NHS24 on 111.
This means we can help people get the right care in the right place.
Patients can access the GPOOH service in the evenings, overnight, across the whole weekend, and public holidays by contacting NHS 24 on 111.
If you require urgent non-life threatening care after your GP has closed you should phone NHS24 on 111.
Trained call handlers at NHS24 will assess your needs and if clinically appropriate will refer you to the GP Out of Hours service.
This new system also means that, where appropriate, patients can speak to a clinician over the phone or via a virtual consultation from the comfort of their own home, meaning they don’t have to travel to an urgent out of hours care centre.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is GP Out of Hours?
The GP Out Of Hours service provides urgent primary care to patients outwith normal GP surgery hours. This includes evenings, weekends, and public holidays. This is accessed by calling NHS 24 on 111.
How do I access GP Out of Hours?
Patients can access the GPOOH service in the evenings, overnight and across the whole weekend and public holidays by contacting NHS 24 on 111.
Trained call handlers at NHS24 will assess the needs and if clinically appropriate will refer the patient to the GPOOH service.
This new system means that, where appropriate, patients can speak to a clinician over the phone or via a virtual consultation from the comfort of their own home, meaning they don’t have to travel to an urgent out of hours care centre.
Why do I have to phone NHS 24?
With all patients being channelled through NHS 24 as a first point of contact, we can ensure that people are directed to the most appropriate type of care within the right environment, at the right time.
We have a fully integrated a telephone triage system into the patient care pathway, meaning where appropriate, patients can speak to a clinician over the phone or via a virtual consultation and may not even have to travel to an urgent out of hours care centre.
Where are the GP Out of Hours Centres?
There are currently GP Out of Hours Centres at:
Inverclyde Royal Hospital (Partial weekend cover and bank holiday.)
New Victoria Hospital
New Stobhill Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital
Vale of Leven (Lomond)
Will people have to travel further to attend GP Out of hours?
If you need a face-to-face appointment, you may be asked to attend a GP Out Of Hours centre outwith your local area. Those who need support travelling to a centre, patient transport can be arranged.
If you cannot travel, we also offer home visiting options.
What happens if you are not able to travel to attend an appointment?
If you cannot travel, we can also offer home visiting options and for those who need support to get to a centre and patient transport can be arranged.
Why can I not just turn up to be seen?
With all patients being channelled through NHS 24 as a first point of contact, we can ensure that people are directed to the most appropriate type of care within the right environment, at the right time.
We have a fully integrated a telephone triage system into the patient care pathway, meaning where appropriate, patients can speak to a clinician over the phone or via a virtual consultation and may not even have to travel to an urgent out of hours care centre. Over half of our consultations are now carried out remotely within your own home. This ensures you can be seen by the right clinical person for your care. Being seen in the home setting also reduces waiting times, travel time and infection control risks.
Is patient transport available to all patients?
Patient Transport is available to all patients. At time of arranging an appointment for a centre, the administrative staff will discuss travel arrangements to the centre for the patient. Any patients who indicate they don’t have transport means to travel to centre will be routinely offered patient transport. There is no charge for this service.
Can patient be accompanied on patient transport?
Carers can get the transport and child seats are also available and patient transport now includes accessibility for wheelchair users.
Is return transport to get patient home available?
