Thank you to patients who have booked an appointment at one of our vaccination clinics. Over 800 patients have already received their vaccine (including local care home residents) and more than 1000 more have already booked to receive theirs in the coming weeks. Uptake has been high and we are trying to secure additional vaccine supplies to offer more appointments in our October clinics. Our remaining clinic dates are:
Saturday 15 October 8.30am - 12.30pm
Saturday 22 October 8.30am - 12.30pm
Saturday 5 November 8.30am - 12.30pm
Tuesday 15 November 1.30pm - 4.30pm
We have been texting patients in batches of 500 to avoid overloading the phone system – the last thing we want to do is stop sick patients getting through to the surgery. We initially focused on the over 65s and are now prioritising the 18 – 64 year olds who are at increased risk due to an underlying health condition. We will then move onto the 50-64 year olds with no significant risk.
All appointments are available to book online NOW via the NHS app or Patient Access if you are registered for online services. We are aware that some patients have had some difficulty because they already had an appointment at the surgery – we have made some changes to resolve this issue. Please do book online if you have access. You are eligible for a free flu vaccination and Covid booster if you are aged 50 years old and over (including those aged 50 by 31 March 2022) and have not received the 2022 booster vaccinations.
You are also eligible for free vaccinations if you are between the age of 18 and 50 and suffer from an underlying health condition including:
- respiratory conditions, such as asthma (needing a steroid inhaler or tablets), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and bronchitis
- diabetes
- heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease or heart failure
- being very overweight – a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above
- chronic kidney disease
- liver disease, such as hepatitis
- some neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), or cerebral palsy
- a learning disability
- problems with your spleen like sickle cell disease, or if you've had your spleen removed
- a weakened immune system as a result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or taking medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
In addition you are eligible for free vaccinations if you:
- live with someone who is immunocompromised
- are pregnant
- receive a carer’s allowance or are the main carer of an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick
You can read more about the flu vaccination here The flu vaccination: who should have it and why - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
You can read more about the autumn Covid booster her A guide to the COVID-19 autumn booster - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
During vaccination clinics we will expect patients to wear a mask whist attending for their vaccination as clinics will include some extremely vulnerable patients. We also ask that you wear short sleeved clothing under an outer garment and arrive as near as possible to your appointment time so that we can keep waiting times to a minimum. We expect vaccination clinics to be extremely busy so we ask you not to bring your car if you are able to get the surgery by other means.
