Blood tests & Blood Pressure

Blood tests can be booked at the medical centre throughout the week, please contact the reception team on 01722 333214. We also loan blood pressure machines when required.

If you require blood tests, you can request an appointment for this at the surgery. This service is primarily intended for non-urgent blood samples and you may have to book several weeks in advance for an appointment.

Alternatively you may find it more convenient to attend Salisbury Hospital for your test. The hospital offers a walk-in service for blood tests open Monday to Friday from 8 am until 5 pm. If this is your preference you can collect a blood form from the surgery reception and take this to the hospital.

By car: Enter hospital site at Entrance A. Park in car park 3 or 8.

By bus: Alight at Main Entrance (third stop). Enter the hospital at Main Entrance (level 3) and follow the signs for blood tests.

From car park 8: follow the signs to the Sarum Entrance (level 3). The department is located on the right.

Diagnosed with hypertension

If you have been diagnosed with hypertension we recommend buying your own blood pressure monitor for use at home. This is because blood pressure readings can fluctuate quite considerably during the course of the day and taking an average of several readings over time gives us a better picture of your blood pressure level than a single reading taken at the surgery. Readings taken at the surgery also tend to be higher than those taken at home and could result in overtreatment.

The British Hypertension Society recommends taking your blood pressure twice daily for seven days if you are concerned it is raised, or wish to check your treatment is effective. The weekly average reading should be less than 135/85 to be considered ‘normal’ or ‘controlled’. Download our document below to record your BP readings.

Picking your machine

Choosing a machine can be difficult and it is important to buy a ‘clinically validated’ model that will give you an accurate and reliable reading. With this in mind it is worth looking at this guide below:

Carers

Non-urgent advice: Notice

The definition of an informal carer is anyone who looks after someone without financial reward

You might be a family memeber, a friend, or simply someone who helps with shopping for a neighbour – but without your help they might struggle.

Many people think a carer is a someone who carries out a role similar to working as a nurse.

Are you a Carer?

At Harcourt Medical Centre we strive to identify and engage with carers and we would like to hear any suggestions that you may have on how we can improve this. Historically we have identified carers from medical contacts and ad-hoc identification from the medical team. If you are a carer then please make us aware. You can inform our reception staff who will ask you to complete a carer’s registration form.

We plan to hold carer support coffee mornings when it is safe to do so with our social prescriber Carl Adams; these are likely to be held away from the surgery premises in an informal and relaxing setting. We hope they will be a great opportunity to share experiences and foster support with other carers.

You can also contact Carer Support Wiltshire

Carers Support South Wilts is part of Carers Support Wiltshire

Telephone: 0800 181 4118