In line with the Government’s announcement, the NHS is aiming to offer every adult the chance to book a COVID-19 booster vaccine by the end of the year. This means our practice is now prioritising the booster rollout.
As part of this, some of our routine services may be stood down temporarily to allow us to focus on protecting as many patients as possible.
We are still there for anyone who may need care for an urgent need; for example, potentially serious underlying problems such as known or suspected cancer,
but ask for patience as we support this key national priority over the coming weeks.
You might notice the following:
- Delays in calls being answered
- Routine care being delayed
- Reception teams asking a lot of questions to help them get you to the best person first time, that person may not always be a GP
- Delays in any paperwork e.g. forms, sick notes being completed
- That you are signposted to self-help and pharmacy options for self-limiting conditions
We hope to be able to stand back up any services as soon as possible and will update this page as soon as we know more.
Please don’t forget there are many services available for you, depending on your condition. These include:
- Self-care – This is the best choice to treat minor illnesses and injuries such as hangovers, coughs, colds, grazes, small cuts or sore throats. Many of these can be treated at home, simply with over-the-counter medicines and plenty of rest.
- Pharmacy – Pharmacists can give advice on and treat a range of symptoms. They can support you with things such as diarrhoea, earaches, painful coughs, sticky eyes, teething and rashes.
- NHS 111 – You can access 111 online or via the telephone. This is for any urgent but non-life threatening health concerns. They will be able to signpost you to the relevant service and provide advice where appropriate, or book you in to an Urgent Treatment Centre.
- A&E / 999 – You should only attend A&E or dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency such as severe bleeding, breathing difficulties and severe chest pain.
If you are now eligible for your COVID-19 booster please book it as soon as you can.
It is vital as many people as possible get boosted as soon as possible. Please do not ring the practice regarding your boosters, instead visit www.nhs.uk/covidvaccination or call 119 to book an appointment.
If you are a housebound patient, there is a community team which will be coming out to you to vaccinate you, so please do not contact your GP as the team will be making contact with you.
Thank you for your patience towards our team who are continuing to work hard to support the vital vaccine booster programme roll out.