Dear Patients, 

You will have seen that the highest priority for the NHS is to offer booster COVID jabs to everyone over 18. This is a big challenge as it will require everyone to work even harder and longer than they do now. Winter has always seen a lot more illness and higher demand for services. COVID has made it even harder, and the new Booster campaign makes it impossible for us to maintain normal services. Our phone lines are overwhelmed by the volume of calls we receive, and we kindly ask you to only ring the surgery when it’s essential. That way we can respond to our patients with the highest need. If you have a vaccine query ring the national booking service, not the surgery. 

To keep our patients safe and prevent our staff from catching COVID or having to self-isolate, we will be doing telephone (or digital) consultations first and then inviting those patients that we need to see face to face into the surgery. In view of the extremely infection nature of this new strain we will be rigorously applying control of infection measures within the practice and ask patients to comply with these requirements.

We will do our very best to meet our patients needs but there may be times in the extreme circumstances we are now in that we have to prioritise those in greatest need. Many minor illnesses are self-limiting and do not need a clinical intervention. Patients can often seek help for such conditions from the local pharmacy. Routine care where a patient’s condition is stable may need to be delayed for a while.  

We will always do our best for our patients but ask for your understanding in these most challenging of circumstances. 

 Please help us to help you 

Thank you 

______________________________________________________________________________________

– Update on the COVID-19 booster programme

The NHS and its partners are working extremely hard to roll out the COVID-19 booster vaccination programme to our communities. All adults are eligible from Monday 13 December, and you will be able to book via the National Booking System from Wednesday 15 December. Please do not contact the practice for vaccination queries as this will stop patients with medical conditions being able to get through. You will be contacted directly by the practice to book your vaccination at Geoffrey Street Health Centre as soon as they are available. You can book your booster for 3 months from the date of second vaccine, and you can access the National Booking System to book the appointment from 2 months. We are working at pace to increase the availability of appointments so that there are plenty of options for people on the National Booking System. New appointments are

being added every day across our vaccination services. Further availability will come online from Wednesday 15 December. We will be working with all our sites to take further steps to increase what they can offer again, including opening later and on more days. All these appointments will be added to the National Booking System. In terms of any planned appointments with , there are no changes at the current time, and everyone should attend your planned appointments as normal. If we need to make any changes, we will contact you directly. 

COVID - 19 UPDATES  Face Coverings  Please click on the link below for the latest update regarding face coverings and social distancing                                         NHS England » NHS Patients, staff and visitors must continue to wear face coverings in healthcare settings          NHS 111 - Isolation Note A new online service has been lauched for any patients of the practice what are unable to work due to COVID-19. Through this new service you will be able to obtain an isolation note for your employer if directed by the NHS 111 online service. In order to reduce the ever growing pressure on our GP surgery, you will be able to obtain the isolation note without consulting your surgery.  In order to gain access to the isolation notes please use the link below.  https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note You will be asked to complete a few question and then the isolation note will be sent to your email address. If you do not have access to an email address, you are able to have the isolation note sent to a trusted family member or friend or alternatively it can be sent straight to your employer.  You can also utilise the service on behalf of somebody else.     Please get in touch with the surgery to nominate a pharmacy or alternatively visit the nominated pharmacy itself.    Patient Information Due to changes in COVID-19 the internal front doors of the surgery will be closed to prevent risk to patients and staff. This will mean patients who have been triaged by a Clinician and asked to visit the surgery will need to use the intercom system in the foyer. The intercom system should only be used for booked appointments or a clinical emergency. Please use the repeat prescription forms in the foyer and place your requests in the outside box. If you haven’t already got a nominated pharmacy add this information to your request. All prescriptions where possible will be electronic to nominated pharmacies. IF YOU HAVE A CONTINUOUS COUGH, A HIGH TEMPERATURE OR LOSS OF TASTE / SMELL. PLEASE DO NOT ENTER LANE ENDS SURGERY. If you feel well return home and self-isolate If you feel unwell ring NHS 111 or visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus Thank you for co-operation in these exceptional circumstances.

Disabled Access

The centre fully complies with legislation for the disabled. There is an intercom between the front door and reception and an induction loop for the hard of hearing.

Online Services

You can now order repeat prescriptions and book/cancel your appointments online.

To use the My GP App you will need a Practice ID number and Access ID number which is obtained from the practice, and, in conjunction with a password that will be unique to you.

You need to call into reception to pick up a registration form or click the link below to Register Online.

Click here to Register / Sign In to use the My GP App