Covid-19 Out of Hours News

Park Medical: Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5RT

Evercreech Surgery: Prestleigh Road, Evercreech, BA4 6JY

Park Medical: 01749 334 383     Evercreech Surgery: 01749 830 325

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COVID-19 INFORMATION

Latest News on COVID-19

See NHS website for the latest on COVID vaccinations in Somerset

For general information on coronavirus please go to gov.uk or nhs.uk

Dept of H&SC - Additional patients identified as at risk from COVID-19 15/02/2021

Public Health England Leaflet - What to expect after your COVID-19 Vaccine

Public Health England Leaflet - COVID-19 Vaccination: A guide for Adults

COVID-19 Vaccination Easy Read Leaflet

National Lockdown Stay at Home Easy Read Leaflet

 

COVID-19 Vaccinations

Please click here to see latest government guidelines on who is currently eligable for vaccination, and click here to see the list of priority groups.  

For speed, our preferred way of contacting you for your vaccination is by mobile phone.  Please let us know your current number by using the Contact us Online button and raising and admin query.

 

Statement from the partners

Please click here to view the current policy for patients accessing our services.  20/05/2021

 

Vaccination of Adult Household members of severely immunosuppreseed individuals - April 2021

If you are aged over 16 and living with someone who has severe immunosuppression, please contact us to book a COVID vaccination.  See www.gov.uk for full details.

 

Oxford Astrazeneca update - 25th March 2021

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the UK’s independent regulator. Their role is to ensure medicines, devices and vaccines work effectively and are safe for use.

Every single vaccine authorised for use in the UK has been authorised by the MHRA and the three parts of authorisation are a safety assessment, an effectiveness assessment and a manufacturing quality assessment.  Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines are safe and effective against the COVID-19 variants currently dominant in the UK and have been approved because they pass the MHRA’s tests on safety and efficacy.

The MHRA has released a statement, following recent media coverage that some countries have temporarily suspended the use of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.

UK regulator confirms that people should continue to receive the COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca.  Following suspensions by some countries of the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca over suspected blood clots, the MHRA confirms that the benefits of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 far outweigh the risks. People should still go and get their COVID-19 vaccine when asked to do so.

For more information please visit the Gov.uk website

 

General Practice is Open

Click here for message from RCGP

In line with the latest Government guidance in order to delay the spread of the Coronavirus we need to minimise the number of patients coming to the surgery. If you need to attend the surgery please ensure you wear a face covering inline with government guidance.

Call the surgery on the day you need to be seen and you will be placed on a list to be contacted by one of the clinicians who will ring you back. It is important that you do not come to the surgery unless you have been specifically asked to do so by one of our staff

 

Changes to GP services

GP services have been given a mandate from the NHS to reorganise their services to ensure that patients continue to receive a service. Patients may already have noticed that practices are no longer offering pre-bookable face to face appointments. Instead, a phone call or video consultation takes place first. If necessary patients will then be asked to attend for a face to face appointment.

GP services are being reorganised so that patients who may have COVID-19 are kept separate from patients who don’t. For example, practices are continuing to provide childhood immunisations and it is important this takes place in an environment as free from contamination as possible.

As a result of these changes, patients who need a face to face appointment may need to attend a surgery location which is different from their usual registered practice. We recognise this may cause some inconvenience to patients and we are grateful for your patience as the NHS grapples with the challenge of COVID-19.

DO NOT go to a GP surgery, community pharmacy or hospital unless you are asked to do so.

During this exceptional period we will be taking repeat prescription requests over the phone.

See nhs website for details about sick notes for those self isolating.

 

Changes to examination practice

From now on, if you need a chest or heart examination, this will be carried out from behind you rather than in front of you. This is based on current clinical guidance to protect you and our clinicians.

The latest guidance advises that throats should not be examined and they should be treated on symptoms only. Please note that our GPs and nurses will no longer be examining anyone’s throat.

Please see this update letter on how we are working during the covid pandemic

The NHS is well prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases and has put in place measures to ensure the safety of all patients and NHS staff while also ensuring services are available to the public as normal.

 

Changes to Privacy and transparency for COVID

Please note a revised Data Provision Notice (DPN) has been issued for data collection.  The objective is, on an ongoing basis, to identify patients at practices who may be:

  • clinically extremely vulnerable if they contract COVID-19
  • at moderate or high risk of complications from flu or COVID-19

For further information please go to Coronavirus (COVID-19) transparency notice.

 

 

Rescue packs

We have been made aware of some inaccurate information circulating regarding special ‘rescue packs’ for patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Please do not contact your GP practice for a rescue pack unless this is something you usually have and require one. You should continue to manage your condition in the usual way and if you feel you have symptoms of COVID-19, go to https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 before doing anything else.

 

Shielding at home

Some people will receive a letter from the NHS to say they should take extra steps to protect (or 'shield') themselves because of an underlying health condition. This is for people who are at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus.

If you think you or someone you care is likely to fall into this category please wait for a letter. Although the national guidance says that most people should receive their letters by Sunday 29 March 2020 please note that it is more than likely that it will take a few days longer for letters to arrive at people’s homes.

So please wait until Friday 03 April 2020. If you have not received a letter by then or been contacted by your GP, please call us for advice.

 

Medication

Please order medicines as normal. There is no need to stockpile medicines. Ordering extra prescriptions and buying more over-the-counter medicines than you need will contribute to disruption to the medicines supply chain, which is otherwise robust.

 

COVID-19 Vaccinations in Somerset

Please see NHS Somerset CCG page for helpful links and comments on COVID-19 vaccinations in Somerset.  www.somersetccg.nhs.uk