Student Services
Cathays Surgery welcomes registrations from students.
The practice registers large numbers of students every year and we work closely with Cardiff University to ensure that students are able to see a doctor locally whilst they are studying. We register students living within our practice boundary and the halls below:
- Cambrian Point
- Liberty Living
- Colum Hall
- Roy Jenkins Hall
See our Practice Boundary
Our practice has included services which are most pertinent to student welfare and our clinicians are very experienced in dealing with student problems such as:
- Sexual Health Advice
- Contraception Services
- Emergency Contraception
- Smoking cessation
- Alcohol advice
- Healthy Eating advice
- Counselling, Mental Health and advice services
- Travel advice and vaccination
- Immunisations
Registration
The receptionists are trained to deal with your registration efficiently and as quickly as possible.
It takes time to retrieve your medical records from your previous practice. In the case of patients requiring on going treatment, an urgent request for records will be submitted.
Click here for more information on our registration process
Medical Problems
Students who take medication on a regular basis will need to be seen by a doctor in order to continue receiving repeat prescriptions.
Students who have been seeing a specialist in another part of the country may prefer to be followed up at the University Hospital of Wales. If this applies to you, please make an appointment to discuss the matter with one of our GPs.
You may see any doctor of your choice. You are not restricted to seeing the doctor you are registered with. Please bear in mind that some doctors work part time and you may have to wait longer to see them.
Contraception/Sexual Health
Contraception; Cervical Cytology, Sexual Health
If you have been prescribed the pill by your previous GP, please make an appointment with our practice nurse before your repeat prescription is due. If you have not had the pill before, you will need to make an appointment with a doctor.
You can see the nurse for contraceptives, cervical cytology and sexual health problems.
All women over the age of 25 who are sexually active are advised to have a cervical smear. You will be offered a sexual health check at this time.
Other Family Planning Drop-in Clinics
Contraceptive Implants - If you would like to book in for an implant, please call us on 02920 353020. For more information about the implant, visit https://www.sexwise.org.uk/contraception/contraceptive-implant, NEXPLANON® Official Site, or give us a call and ask to book an appointment with the nurse to discuss contraception options. Contact us for upcoming clinic dates.
We have an inter-practice agreement with The City Surgery and Albany Road Surgery; if you are a patient registered to City or Albany and would like to self-refer to the implant clinic here at Cathays Surgery, please complete the following form and send it to us: Self-referral Form
IUDs (Coil) - We have an inter-practice agreement with Roath House Surgery who can insert and remove IUD’s please complete the attached referral form and send to Roath House Surgery and they will then contact you to arrange a date and time that is suitable. Download referral form
Counselling
Cardiff University has a number of counsellors for students. We recommend that you see one of these, if possible. If the waiting list at the university is too long for you to wait, please make an appointment with one of our doctors who may refer you to our practice counsellor.
Some useful websites:
Cardiff University Counselling Services
It's Good to Talk
Travelling Abroad
More students than ever are travelling abroad to exotic places. You may well need specific vaccinations for the countries you are visiting. See our ‘Travel Services’ advice page. PLEASE NOTE, WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY OFFERING TRAVEL VACCINES.
Giving travel advice is time consuming. There is a questionnaire that you can print off from this website (see below). Complete the form and hand it into reception prior to your appointment with the nurse. This will make life a lot easier for all concerned. Please make sure you arrange to have your required immunisations several months before you plan to travel. Some take time to become effective.
Medical Evidence / Certificates for University / Sick notes / TWIMCs
We do get a lot of requests to provide students with a sick note for missing a lecture, tutorial or exam, or for the late submission of a piece of coursework. We have had discussions with Cardiff University and understand that a sick note is only required when an exam has been missed or a piece of coursework not handed in on time. This is a specific requirement for marks that go towards your final grade.
The sick note does not have to be acquired immediately as there may be no appointments available for you. Please, in the interests of other patients, do not request an emergency appointment for the sole purpose of obtaining a sick note.
Please note we will only consider providing letters for universities or colleges relating to your health, if the request is accompanied by a letter from that college or university making the request. The letter should outline what specific medical information about you is required and for what purpose.
Download our request pack which which explains the process and the accompanying documents which need to be completed and returned to the surgery. Please read these carefully, as we cannot process your request unless you follow the steps.
A minimum fee of £40 will be payable at the time of request. This fee will be higher for more complex / detailed reports and you will be informed if that is likely to be the case.
These letters can take up to 14-30 days to be completed by the GP.
Help & Advice
Alcohol & Drugs fact sheet
University Support Services Provided by Cardiff University
Looking after your Wellbeing
If you are experiencing emotional distress, stress and anxiety, depression, loneliness or poor mental health, please review the options below, to see if this type of support would be helpful:
- Health and Wellbeing: Visit the Student Intranet for health and wellbeing resources, including sports and exercise
- Medic Support: My MEDIC (formerly known as Medic Support) is a service for all medics studying at Cardiff University School of Medicine, that has successfully supported thousands of students over its lifetime.
- Urgent Advice: please see our urgent advice page for what to do if you are worried about your immediate safety or the safety of another student.
- Talk Campus: is a social networking site which offers you a safe place to talk anonymously about anything and without judgement. Powered by the leading mental health support network TalkLife.TalkCampus is monitored by a professional team as well as students who are going through the same struggles as you. Download the TalkCampus app from the app store or googleplay and register with your @cardiff.ac.uk email address.
- Self-help Resources : please see our self-help pages for coping strategies on how to manage anxiety, low mood, stress and other difficulties.
- Wellbeing Events: please look at our events page for information about our online workshops and group work
- Drop-in: You may like a brief appointment with our service to speak to staff about the support we offer. Our drop-in service offers an opportunity to discuss your circumstances with our wellbeing and counselling staff and you do not need to book in advance. They can also help you complete our self-referral form if you require assistance.
- Sources of support in the community: please see our pages on community services and helplines that are available.
- Student Minds: empowers students and members of the university community to look after their own mental health, support others and create change.
- SilverCloud: NHS Wales has an online platform called SilverCloud, which provides guided programmes for managing a variety of difficulties including, anxiety, depression, sleep, stress, building resilience and managing poor body image. Sign up is free for those registered with a Cardiff and Vale GP.
- Download the prospectus of the Cardiff and Vale Recovery and Wellbeing College: find out about the free courses on offer.
- Chaplaincy are available to offer a listening ear and support. Whether you are a student of religious belief or not, listening support appointments are available throughout the week with Chaplains from different faith backgrounds. Please access this support by emailing our Coordinating Chaplain, Delyth Liddell: chaplaincy@cardiff.ac.uk. The Chaplains work closely with the University and the Student Union and can point you towards other support services that can also help you, e.g. counselling services, financial advice, skills development, and other forms of student support.
Access to Counselling and Wellbeing Online Support
Opening Hours: Monday- Friday, 9am-4.30pm (excluding bank holidays)
If you would like to access online Counselling and Wellbeing appointments please complete our brief self-referral form.
Once you have completed this form, we will send you a receipt of referral message within 2 working days. This will contain important links to general sources of support, and a Resource Pack that you can access immediately. Please utilise these support options, as they are likely to help with managing any difficulties you are having with low mood, anxiety and other feelings of emotional distress.
Your Appointment
We will contact you to offer an initial appointment once we have availability.
Please ensure you view our urgent advice pages if you are concerned about your safety or the safety of someone else. These pages will provide guidance on what to do in an emergency, on what to do to raise a concern you have about yourself or others, and how to get support if you have experienced an incident of violence and abuse.
If you wish to provide feedback or make a complaint about Cardiff University Well Being Services
Please know we are committed to providing a safe, accessible service to our students. If you have concerns about the service we are providing and want to provide us with feedback or make a formal complaint, please use the following complaint form.
Accessing other Student Life services
You can now use our Student Connect system for all your enquiries for Student Life services. Email studentconnect@cardiff.ac.uk with your query, or create an Enquiry on the Student Connect portal. You can find more information on the services provided by Student Life here on the student intranet.
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Cardiff Uni Student Connect Info Sheet - click below to view.
Cardiff Uni Student Life - Zcard 2022
Are you 11-19 years old? You can text your School Nurse on 07520 615718 for confidential advice and support!
