All Services

Southgates Surgical Services

Southgates Surgical Services has been well established for over twenty years providing NHS treatment in a safe, effective, friendly, professional environment and patient centred service.

We are based in the heart of King’s Lynn near the town centre with good transport links.

All procedures are carried out by NHS, FRCS surgeons with established hospital careers and assisted by experienced theatre trained nurses and allied staff. If you would like to be referred to us for assessment then ask your GP to refer to Southgates Surgical — we accept all patients from Norfolk and Waveney including Norwich, Hunstanton, Great Yarmouth, Holt, and surrounding areas.

Vasectomy procedure
Excision of skin lesions/lipoma/sebaceous cyst
Open Inguinal, Umbilical, Paraumbilical & Epigastric Hernia repairs
Treatment of ingrown toenails
Removal of Ganglion and mucoid cysts
Carpal tunnel decompression
Trigger finger surgery

Treatment includes pre-operative assessment, operation and all necessary follow up. This service is free on the NHS. All these procedures are performed under local anaesthetic with the use of some sedation (this depends on the procedure).

The benefits of using the services at Southgates Surgical Services include:

  • Short waiting times from the point of referral to consultant clinic — on average 2-3 weeks
  • Choice of appointment date and time
  • Patient centred environment
  • Consultant Surgeon and Anaesthetist led
  • Experienced theatre staff & surgeons, working in a dedicated specialised surgical unit  Quick, safe and efficient service
  • CQC regulated service last visit rated “Good”
  • Ample free parking

Staff Areas of Speciality

Consultant General Surgeon

– Vasectomy (under local anaesthetic)
– Excision/ removal of lipomas, skin lesions and sebaceous cysts (under local anaesthetic)
– Open Hernia repair +/- mesh (under sedation + local anaesthetic)
– Removal of Toenail (under local anaesthetic)
– Outpatient clinics
Consultant General Surgeon

Open Hernia repair +/- mesh (under sedation + local anaesthetic)
Consultant General Surgeon

– Vasectomy (under local anaesthetic)
– Excision/ removal of lipomas, skin lesions and sebaceous cysts (under local anaesthetic)
– Removal of Toenail (under local anaesthetic)
– Outpatient clinics
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

– Carpal tunnel decompression
– Trigger finger infection / release
– Steroid injections
– Removal of ganglion and mucoid cysts 
– Outpatient clinics
Consultant General Surgeon

– Outpatient and histology lead

If you have any questions relating to our service, please do not hesitate to contact our approachable and specialised team on direct dial – 01553 819460.

We currently do not offer suspected/confirmed cancer services and each patient is subject to an assessment against our safety guidance, If further referral / pathway is required, then this is also undertaken by Southgates Surgical Centre.

Clinics we offer at our GP surgery

We provide a range of services and clinics.

For further information on the following services, or to book an appointment, please contact reception.

The following clinics are available at our surgery by appointment:

  • Baby Immunisations
  • Blood pressure and urine checks
  • Cervical smears
  • Childhood immunisations
  • Chronic disease management
  • Family planning advice
  • Minor injuries
  • Skin Surgery
  • Removal of stitches
  • Registration health checks
  • Travel Vaccinations
  • Asthma clinic
  • Contraceptive Services
  • Child health Surveillance
  • Maternity Services
  • Minor Surgery
  • Vaccinations and Immunisations
  • Phlebotomy
  • COPD clinic
  • Coronary Heart Disease clinic
  • Hypertension clinic
  • Diabetes clinic

Chargeable Services

We provide several services that are not covered by our NHS contract, consequently they attract charges.

Please contact reception to obtain further information on the services and the fees charged.

Why does my doctor charge fees?

When your doctor is asked to give medical information about you in the form of a report, letter or certificate, the request kick starts a series of processes.

This takes time and is not always straightforward or simple to complete. Some of the information is not available easily and will mean the doctor has to sort and select the right information for the request.

The doctor also must establish who is funding this work and if it is not part of their NHS work, agree a fee for this.

Many patients see their doctor as the embodiment of the NHS and all that it provides – free care at the point of delivery. However not all work doctors are asked to do is paid for by the NHS and many GPs are self-employed.

This means they must cover their time and costs – staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc – in the same way as any small business. The NHS only pays for NHS work, any work outside of the NHS must be funded by other means and this is why fees are charged.

The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions: prescription charges have existed since 1951, and there are a number of other services for which fees are charged.

Sometimes the charge is made to cover some of the cost of treatment, for example, dental fees; in other cases, it is because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, medical reports for insurance companies.
The government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients. In recent years, more and more organisations have been involving doctors in a whole range of non-medical work. Sometimes the only reason that GPs are asked is because they are in a position of trust in the community, or because an insurance company or employer wants to be sure that information provided is true and accurate.

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their NHS patients are:
– Accident/sickness insurance certificates
– Certain travel vaccinations
– Private medical insurance reports

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions are:
– Medical reports for an insurance company
– Some reports for the DSS/Benefits agency
– Examinations of local authority employees
The BMA suggests fees for non-NHS work which is not covered under a GP’s NHS contract, to help GPs set their own professional fees. However, these fees are guidelines only, not recommendations, and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates suggested.
When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the medical register that they only sign what they know to be true. In order to complete even the simplest of forms, therefore, the doctor might have to check the patient’s entire medical record. Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council or even the police.
The fee charged will depend on the service required. Some simple requests can be as little as £10.00, but more complex requests will incur a higher fee. When you request a private medical service, you will be quoted an exact figure, so you are able to make an informed decision on whether to proceed.
You can pay by cash, cheque or debit card. You will be required to pay on the day of your examination or upon collection of your form/letter.

Your doctor receives large amounts of request and which is often to do with whether your general health allows you to do something e.g. to work, receive benefits, drive, play sport, attend school, own a house, a firearm or it is for insurance, court or other medico-legal reasons.

All requests will vary in complexity, volume and consistency ranging from signing a certificate which can take minutes, to an in-depth report with an examination that can take hours.

When your doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true.

In order to complete even the simplest of forms, they may have to check your entire medical record (some of which may not be accessible on a computer or on site).

Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors’ regulatory body) or even the Police.

Your doctor is inundated with work. They have to balance their time with treating the sick, keeping their practice afloat and making sure they are doing all of this safely and within their professional duties as a doctor.

With certain exceptions written within their contract, doctors do not have to carry out non-NHS work. However, many choose to for the benefit of you and other families they treat.

Where a doctor chooses to undertake the work, we advise them to inform and always agree a fee in advance of undertaking work.

Should their volume of work prove to be greater or more complex than expected, the doctor will contact you to discuss how to proceed.

– Not all documents need a signature by a doctor and can be done by other professionals. Please check the form and accompanying guidance as you may get a quicker response that way.

– If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your doctor if he or she is prepared to complete them at the same time to speed up the process.

– Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight. Urgent requests may mean that a doctor has to make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this will cost more.

– Don’t book an appointment with your doctor to complete forms without checking with your doctor’s administrative staff as to whether you need to or not.