COVID Booster Expansion

Posted on December 14th, 2021

In line with the Government’s announcement, the NHS is working 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 for a short period of time to allow us to focus on protecting as many patients as possible. If you have an existing appointment, please attend it as usual unless we contact you.

We are still here for you if we feel you need to be seen urgently but would ask for patience as we support this key national priority over the coming weeks. 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. For more information visit: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/your-medicine-cabinet/
• 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. To find your nearest pharmacy call 111 or visit https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy
• 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 into 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 contact the practice regarding your boosters, instead visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/.nhs.uk or call 119 to book an appointment or to find a walk-in clinic near you. You can also find out more about who is eligible, how the vaccine is given and other frequently asked questions. 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 contacting you.

Thank you for your patience.