About our Services

The team was originally named Weymouth Elderly Care Service, but was renamed after a few years to Weymouth and Portland Frailty Service. The initials stayed with the team!

Overview

Established in April 2015 and led by Dr Laura Godfrey (GP and PCN Clinical Director), the Weymouth and Portland Frailty Service (WECS) supports residents in Residential and Nursing Homes and housebound people across Weymouth and Portland. WECS also supports the Ageing Well Clinics. The team provides proactive, comprehensive assessments, works with patients and families to complete personalised care and support plans using the Dorset Care Plan (including end of life planning where appropriate), and works closely with MUCS for urgent visits.

Residential and Nursing Homes

Each care home has a named WECS clinician and is linked to a specific GP surgery. Homes receive a weekly visit from their named clinician, with cover provided during leave by another member of the team. If you have a relative living in a care home in Weymouth and Portland, please click here for further information.

Housebound patients

People who are frail or at risk of frailty can be referred for a comprehensive geriatric assessment, looking at health, medicines, falls risk, nutrition, and care priorities. Visits are usually by Frailty Practitioners; complex cases may involve Dr Nick Luscombe, Dr Elizabeth Jones, or Dr Laura Godfrey. Frailty Assistants in the team visit to complete specific tasks, e.g. blood pressure monitoring and weight monitoring. The aim is to help maintain wellbeing, reduce the risk of hospital admissions, and support people to remain at home, while focusing on what matters most to them. Personalised care and support planning is a key part of this.

Welcome to Weymouth & Portland's diabetes page. Here you'll find information about services available to adults registered with a GP in Weymouth and Portland, and links to good information about diabetes. The page covers: New to Type 2, Refocus, Diabetes and Pregnancy, and how to contact us.

Weymouth & Portland are part of NHS Dorset. The NHS Dorset website has useful information including:

• About diabetes and the different types
• Preventing Type 2 diabetes
• Pre-diabetes: what it is and the services available

Type 1 diabetes and diabetes in pregnancy

If you have Type 1 diabetes, or any type of diabetes and are pregnant, your care will come from the team at Dorset County Hospital – Diabetes Centre. They also provide some services in Weymouth and Portland for people with Type 1 diabetes. Pregnancy diabetes services are based at the hospital in Dorchester.

Many appointments can now be done by phone or video call — if getting to appointments is difficult, please let the team know.

Type 2 diabetes

If you have Type 2 or another type of diabetes, your care is likely to come from community-based teams. There's lots of information on the NHS Dorset website including:

• What is Type 2 diabetes?
• Diabetes remission, including the Path to Remission Programme
• Driving when on insulin
• Weight loss and diabetes

Local support

Your practice nurse or GP is your first stop for diabetes queries. You also have access to:

• Specialist diabetes nutrition support — ask for an appointment with the Diabetes Specialist Dietitian, who holds clinics at most Weymouth & Portland GP surgeries
• Diabetes specialist nurse advice — via your Practice Nurse

New to Type 2

A great introduction for anyone recently diagnosed. Feedback describes the sessions as offering 'plenty of information', being 'easy to understand' and 'very positive'. Sessions are run by the diabetes specialist dietitian and nurse — join in as much or as little as you like.

• In person — two three-hour sessions covering the condition, with time for questions and the chance to meet others recently diagnosed. Held at venues across Weymouth and Portland.
• Online — three two-hour sessions covering the same ground, available on various days and times including evenings.

Refocus

For people who have been living with Type 2 diabetes for a while. A friendly, informal session — no preparation needed, no personal information required unless you choose to share. You'll get:

• Updates on information and available equipment
• The chance to ask questions to a diabetes specialist dietitian and nurse
• The chance to meet others living with Type 2 diabetes

Held at venues across Weymouth and Portland.

Contact

To find out about available dates and times and to book, contact the Weymouth & Portland Diabetes Admin Team:

• Phone: 01305 234090
• Email: w&p.pcn@dorsetgp.nhs.uk

MUCS provides urgent home visits for patients who have an immediate need for care at home due to frailty or a tendency towards frailty. Visits are carried out by a specialist nurse or paramedic.

How it works

A referral into MUCS follows telephone triage, carried out either by the patient's own GP or by an experienced clinician at their practice. Once referred, the visiting clinician will:

• Assess the patient's needs at home
• Collaborate with the patient on their ongoing treatment and care plan
• Involve other members of the primary care or wider healthcare team as needed

Why early response matters

A key feature of MUCS is the emphasis on a prompt response earlier in the day. Acting early allows care and support to be mobilised more quickly, with the aim of keeping patients safe and well in their own home wherever possible.

We offer free blood pressure checks and healthy-living support for all adults aged 18 and over. You can find us in local community spaces, making it easy for anyone who wants to look after their heart health to drop in.

Why blood pressure matters

High blood pressure usually has no warning signs, but it's one of the biggest causes of heart and circulatory problems — and many people don't realise they have it. Checking it early can help prevent heart attacks and strokes. Heart and circulatory diseases, including coronary heart disease, are responsible for around a quarter of all deaths each year in the UK, making early checks even more important. Our team is here to offer friendly advice and help you find any further support you might need.

Workplace and community visits

We can also visit local businesses and workplaces to provide free blood pressure checks for both staff and visitors. We welcome enquiries from organisations interested in hosting a session.

Useful links

• British Heart Foundation (BHF)
• HEART UK – The Cholesterol Charity
• Blood Pressure UK
• Live Well Dorset
• Help & Care Dorset

We are a team of Care Coordinators here to help you find the right support for your needs. We work closely with your GP practice, but we can also connect you to a wide range of local services, including health, social care, and community support. Our role is to make things easier to understand and help you get the help that's right for you.

We take time to listen to what matters to you and look at the bigger picture of your wellbeing — not just your health. Whether you need help after leaving hospital, support with a long-term condition, or just don't know where to start, we're here to guide you.

We can help with things like

• Reducing loneliness and finding local activities
• Accessing support at home
• Putting together a simple plan to help you feel more in control
• Support for unpaid carers in our community

Please note, we are not clinical staff and cannot give medical advice — but we're here to support you in finding the right help.

Sometimes, the things that impact our wellbeing aren't medical at all — they're social, emotional, or practical. That's where our Social Prescribing Link Workers come in. They're here to help you look at the bigger picture of your life and support you to find community-based solutions that build resilience, reduce isolation, and empower you to move forward.

Helping you feel connected, confident and supported

Social Prescribing Link Workers can connect you with a wide range of local activities, groups and services — from volunteering and arts, to debt advice and housing support. There's no one-size-fits-all approach; it's about what works for you.

Find out more

• Social Prescribing Service – Help & Care

Life can be tough — and it's ok to need a little help along the way. Our Health and Wellbeing Coaches are here to support you in finding your own way forward, helping you build confidence and feel more in control of your health and daily life.

This is support designed with you and for you. No pressure, no judgement — just space to be heard and time to explore what matters.

Feel seen. Feel supported. Feel like yourself again.

Whether you're managing a long-term condition, feeling stuck, or simply want to make positive changes, a Health and Wellbeing Coach can help you identify what's important to you and take steps at your own pace.

Find out more

• Health & Wellbeing Coaching – Help & Care

Our Pharmacy Team plays a vital role in supporting patients and improving the quality of care across our Primary Care Network. Working closely with GPs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, they help ensure that medicines are used safely, effectively, and appropriately.

Our pharmacy professionals include four clinical pharmacists and four pharmacy technicians who are highly trained in medicines management and patient care. They work both behind the scenes and directly with patients, supported by a pharmacy care coordinator who helps organise and coordinate patient care around medications.

Medication reviews

We carry out structured medication reviews to make sure your medicines are working well for you. This includes:

• Checking that your medications are appropriate
• Reducing unnecessary or duplicate medicines
• Minimising side effects
• Supporting you to get the best results from your treatment

Improving safety

Our team helps improve medication safety by:

• Reviewing appropriate doses for high-risk medications
• Reviewing hospital discharge summaries and clinic letters
• Supporting safe prescribing practices across the PCN
• Reviewing and actioning MHRA drug safety alerts

Supporting long-term conditions

We support patients living with conditions such as cardiovascular disease. By reviewing and optimising medications, we help improve control of these conditions and support your overall wellbeing.

Supporting GP practices

Pharmacy staff work closely with GP teams to:

• Carry out clinical audits
• Help manage medicine shortages or changes
• Ensure prescribing follows the latest guidelines

Why this matters

By having pharmacy professionals as part of the PCN team, we can improve patient safety, free up GP time, provide more specialist support for medication-related issues, and deliver more personalised care.

What is spirometry?

Spirometry is a breathing test that measures how much air you breathe in and out and how forcefully you breathe. You'll be seated, hold a mouthpiece, and blow into a machine as hard and fast as you can until your lungs are empty. This is repeated at least three times.

Reversibility test (about 35 minutes)

Depending on your results and the reason for referral, you may be given a bronchodilator (often a blue salbutamol inhaler). After waiting 15 minutes, the tests are repeated.

FeNO test

You may also be offered a fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) test — a simple blowing test (about a minute) to check inflammation in your airways.

Before your appointment

• Avoid alcohol: 24 hours before.
• Avoid smoking: 12 hours before.
• Avoid certain foods (12 hours before): rocket, spinach, lettuce, radish, beetroot, Chinese cabbage, turnips, cabbage, green beans, leek, spring onion, cucumber, carrot, potato, garlic, sweet pepper, green pepper.
• On the day (1 hour before): avoid eating, drinking, smoking and exercise.

Bring with you

• A bottle of water.
• Any inhalers you use and your spacer/aerochamber.
• If you've never been prescribed a salbutamol inhaler, please contact your GP to arrange one for this appointment.

Medicines to pause (if you can)

If you take regular inhalers/medicines for breathing, bring them with you but try not to use them for the times below. If you need relief sooner, please use them and tell the nurse at the start.

• Relievers (Salbutamol, Terbutaline): 4–8 hours
• Short-acting anticholinergics (Atrovent): 6 hours
• Long-acting relievers (Salmeterol, Formoterol, Seretide, Symbicort, Fostair, Relvar): 12 hours
• Long-acting anticholinergics (Spiriva, Incruse, Eklira, Anoro, Braltus, Tiotropium): 24 hours
• Long-acting oral bronchodilators (theophylline): 24 hours

During the test

The test isn't painful, but some people find it uncomfortable. Please tell us at any time if you feel unwell.

Risks and when to tell us

The test is very low risk, but because it needs maximum effort, please inform the nurse before starting if you have:

• Uncontrolled high blood pressure or angina
• Recent heart attack or stroke
• A collapsed lung (pneumothorax)
• Recent coughing up blood of unknown cause
• Chest, abdominal or cerebral aneurysm
• Any recent operations (including chest, abdominal or eye surgery)
• An ear infection

You may feel light-headed briefly after attempts; some people feel shaky after an inhaler — this is common and settles quickly. Rarely, people may faint or feel nauseous.

After the test

You can go home and resume normal activities straight away and restart your inhalers as normal.

Results

The nurse may discuss results with you after the test. Otherwise, results are sent to your GP and should be available within 14 days.

Questions or changes

For queries before the test, please contact your usual GP surgery (they can forward questions to the Community Respiratory Team). If you cannot attend, contact the PCN respiratory team on 01305 234090.

Overview

Ageing Well Clinics run at Portland Community Hospital (Portland) and Lynch Lane offices (Weymouth). People invited may have frailty, limited mobility, falls risk, or recurrent admissions; it can also include those with long-term conditions such as respiratory disease or diabetes.

Goals

Improve wellbeing and independence, reduce falls risk, optimise medicines and reduce the chance of hospital admission.

What to expect

The clinic is around 2 hours. You'll move through stations to meet different professionals, for example:

• Therapist (Occupational Therapist and/or Physiotherapist)
• Specialist Frailty Practitioner (Nurse or paramedic)
• Social Prescriber
• Care Coordinator

Please complete and bring the pre-clinic questionnaire if you've been sent one.

Please give us plenty of notice if you are not able to attend (excepting emergencies). We have long waiting lists and we could offer your appointment to another individual with enough notice.

A First Contact Practitioner (FCP) is an advanced physiotherapist based in GP practices who is trained to assess, diagnose, and manage musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions as a patient's first point of contact. They can provide advice and treatment or refer patients on to other services if needed, without the need to see a GP first.

Our ARRS Mental Health Workers provide specialist mental health support, based at GP surgery locations across the PCN. Working as part of the primary care team, they offer accessible help for people experiencing mental health difficulties without the need for a separate referral to secondary care.