Garden Lane Medical Centre has been providing services to students of The University of Chester for over 30 years. We currently have more than 2000 students registered with the practice.

• Our aim is to provide the best possible healthcare during your time at University.
• We are a 5 minute walk from the campus, on the way to the City Centre.
• We offer discounted fees for students for medical examinations and travel requirements. See further tabs for more information on fees.

During your time at University you will be living in Chester for the majority of the year. Therefore, it is important that you register with a local GP in Chester as soon as possible and not wait until you are poorly. It is particularly important if you have a long term condition such as asthma or diabetes, or require medication. Your new doctor will be able to liase with your usual hospital Consultant if necessary.

During the holidays you can return to your home GP and be seen as a temporary patient as needed.

If you would like to register with us, please follow the 'New Patients' tab on the home page and click 'Register online now'. This is the quickest way to register. Please provide us with your NHS number. If you do not know this, you could find it by contacting your previous GP surgery.

Please also ensure that you provide us with your Chester address as your home address.

Once registered, to make an appointment with our University Sister or a telephone appointment with a GP, please call us on: 01244 346677. This call will be answered by a Receptionist who will arrange an appointment for you.

Receptionists may ask if you are a student at the University. We don't ask this question to discriminate or to treat you differently, we ask to ensure you are triaged to the correct person.

You may also be asked for a brief indication of the problem. This is to prioritise problems and ensure patients are seen by the correct person at the correct time. Local pharmacists are able to give advice and treatment on a number of minor illnesses, no appointment necessary.

Sister Sarah Clifford RGN PNC FP.cert is our University Sister at the practice. She works Monday-Thursday and can diagnose, manage, treat and refer to secondary care. Sister Clifford is very experienced in providing assessment and treatment for a full range of medical conditions and offers advice and support in all areas of health and well-being. Sister Clifford also has links to the services provided at the University and can signpost to these services. This is particularly helpful with non-medical problems.

Please click here for information on who to contact if you need medical advice when we are closed.

Letters of Medical Evidence/Mitigating Circumstances

These can only be provided when there is a medical record of the reason why the extension or mitigating circumstance is being claimed. Records cannot be made retrospectively. Please book an appointment with Sister Sarah Clifford in the first instance. For further information refer to the sickness absence policy on Ibis Intranet. There is a £24 charge for these letters, and you will need to pay before the letter is dictated.

Camp America Forms

These can be completed for you, often without an appointment. Please bring forms to reception as soon as you receive them.  If an appointment is required you will be contacted regarding this. The fee without an examination is £45 and with an examination is £55. 

Medical Reports and Examinations

The doctors will carry out medical reports and examinations for employment or University purposes. To arrange an appointment, please contact reception.

General forms (without report) including: PGCE, British Council, Pre-Employment Forms, Medical Evidence letters for DSA & Declaration of Health forms are all £45. 

If you require vaccinations for travel you will need an initial phone appointment with the nurse at least 6 weeks before you travel.

After the phone call, you will be booked an appointment to have the vaccinations if required. Please bring any records of previous vaccinations you have had with you.

FEES:

Hepatitis B Vaccinations - £35 each

Click here to visit our dedicated Travel Health page.

Contraception

We offer a full range of contraception options at the surgery, including long-acting reversible methods. If you need an appointment for contraception, please contact the surgery to make an appointment.

If you require emergency contraception, you can get this from any of the local pharmacies providing they have a pharmacist available at the time. It is always worth ringing them to check beforehand.

Sexual Health

We provide a free testing kit for Chlamydia & Gonorrhea in our surgery toilets. 

If you would like a free full sexual health screening, which is recommended, there is a sexual health clinic. Click here for their website. They have several clinics across Cheshire.

There is a screening campaign in West Cheshire which aims to reduce the prevalence of Chlamydia in the community. This is why all young people aged 16-25 are offered a test even if no symptoms are evident and you are attending the practice concerning another issue.