Welcome to the Hillswick Surgery

Welcome to the website for the Hillswick Health Centre. The practice aea covers the northernmost part of the Shetland Mainland in perhaps the most scenic area of the entire Shetland archipelago, Northmavine.

The surgery provides medical care to roughly 700 people throughout Northmavine, including Ollaberry, North Roe, Sullom, Eshaness and Hillswick itself. It is an established training practice for doctors beginning their careers as GPs. It is a dispensing practice with a fully-equipped small pharmacy.

If you are a patient or a tourist, a prospective GP Registrar or simply interested in what happens at the surgery, please browse this site using the panel on the left to find out when we're open, how to contact the doctors and available facilities.

The principal GP/Trainer in the practice is Dr Susan Bowie, who has worked at Hillswick since 1988, and in Shetland since 1984. There is a full additional team including GP registrars Yousuff Khan, and Kerry Taylor, Practice Nurses Jeanette Spall and Caroline Garrick, reception, secretarial, and dispensing staff, Maisie Thompson, Frances Williamson, Tricia Robertson and Amelia Dowle. Lynn Ritch our Health Visitor is attached to the surgery, ( on Sabatical)and District Nurses based at Brae provide district nursing cover. We have a midwife , Hille Buckley-Jones also attached to the surgery. Visting practitioners provide on-site physiotherapy, chiropody, counselling and psychiatry.

For all enquiries and out of hour emergencies phone 01806 503 277

Swine Flu for most people is probably going to be mild and self limiting needing no treatment.. If you think you have Influenza...

Stay at Home-

Do not attend the surgery.

Isolate yourself.

Get phone advice especially if you have travelled to an area with known Influenza, or are a possible contact

Swine Flu information line on 08001 513 513

or

NHS 24 on 08454242424

Check your symptoms with our symptom checker.

If you still think you may have Swine Flu, then call and speak with one of the GPs here, who will provide a diagnosis over the phone and will decide whether you need a swab ,antivirals or not, or a visit if you are really ill. Most people do not need antivirals.

Then

-Organise someone to get treatment for you, if we feel it is clinically necessary.

They will not come into the Health Centre either, but we will provide antivirals in the car park. Pick up time is 11 am on Sunday, and by arrangement other days.

Dispose of tissues etc immediately.

Cover your mouth when coughing

Clean surfaces, handles etc

Take Paracetamol.

It probably will be mild, but if you are pregnant , its a young child or suffer from chronic diseases its especailly important to get help. Influenza can be mistaken for other serious infections esp in children.

Last updated July 2010

Hillswick Surgery News

We welcome the return of Psychiatry clinics in Hillswick, and our new Psychiatrist Dr Sharon Brown.

Hillswick Surgery is soon to be come a Yellow fever centre. Staff are attending training on the 1st of September in Glasgow, and we will be available to provide vaccination soon after.

New GP appointed. We are delighted to welcome Stacey Vettraino who will be starting at the practice at the end of March. Stacey will be moving to Hillswick from near Glasgow with her husband Kieran and her baby Luca.

5th of December update.

Supplies of H1N1 Vaccine into the practice have been sluggish, and we are grateful for your patience. If you are unimmunised and one of our 'at risk'( see below) then we want to immunise you soon.

There are fewer people reporting flu like symptoms.

NHS hospitals have now begun giving their first doses of swine flu vaccine to the patients facing greatest risk of complications. Healthcare staff dealing with the public are also being vaccinated to help keep medical services running smoothly and to prevent them from passing the virus to patients.

GPs will begin receiving supplies of the vaccine from Monday October 26. Patients will be contacted by their GPs if they fall into one of the at-risk categories.

The order of priority will be:

  * People aged from six months to 65 years in current seasonal flu risk groups

  * All pregnant women

  * Those living with people with compromised immune systems, for example those recieving cancer treatment

  * People aged over 65 in the current seasonal flu risk groups.

We are awaiting news of when the Swine flu vaccine will be available and will keep you posted.

We are recruiting a new Associate GP

please see advert on separate page.

A big welcome back to Lynn who is back with us one day a week.

A big welcome our new GP registrar Yousuff Khan who has joined us and congratulations on your marriage.

We are all going to miss George, who has finished his Registrar year, and is working now in Lerwick.

Please follow Swine flu latest for latest advice.

We have moved to the treatment phase of a pandemic.See guidlines below.

For most people swine flu will be mild and self limiting. Most people will not need Tamiflu.Those with Chronic diseases or pregnant need to contact the doctor for help as soon as possible.

A big than you to the Conservation Volunteers for coming and working in our garden on Sunday.They have done a wonderful job.

Well Done George on your exam! We will be sad to see you move on.

Swine Influenza has now been raised to Pandemic status, in the containment phase. See latest guidlines and BBC news by following link buttons to Health Protection Scotland, and clicking on the box below.

On the 21 st of June .The conservation volunteers are coming to work on the surgery garden. Everyone is welcome to come and help.

 Big Welcomes to a recent new member of our team, Frances Williamson who joins us in reception.

New members of the Friends of the Surgery are very welcome, we are hoping to have a meeting soon

Maisie has officially retired and a retirement meal was enjoyed at Busta. Maisie will still work part time at the surgery, and so all is not lost!