COVID-19 - AZ Vaccination Guide
Update for Patients March 2021
As we continue with our Covid 19 response, we wanted to share with you how we are “open for business”. The new “normal” will continue to look different from how we provided a service to our patients prior to March 2020.
To reduce footfall in the building, we will continue with total triage (as advised by NHS England) by using eConsult for any access requests. We are processing almost 400 Econsults received electronically each week. Our reception team are dealing with over 1200 telephone calls each week.We strongly recommend that patients submit an eConsult to aid clinical triage of your condition. We do not have capacity of reception staff to do this for every patient, if you have access to computer or smart-phone we would request that you do this yourself rather than calling the surgery reception team.
eConsult templates have been reviewed recently to reduce some of the difficulties people had in submitting them; particularly around management of pain. More templates have been added for different clinical conditions making it easier to submit an eConsult for your condition. “please note – We are open Monday to Friday 8am to 6.30pm. eConsults will be responded to by the end of the next working day, we cannot guarantee a response on the day that you submit the eConsult. The response maybe signposting to appropriate services, text message, issue a prescription, asking for further information, a telephone appointment, video consultation or a face to face appointment. If you have an urgent issue outside of our opening times please ring NHS 111 (out of hours) or 999.
Please ensure you use the link below to submit an eConsult NOT the Patient Access site.
The majority of consultations with GP or Clinical team are taking place by telephone/video call. We will be open to see patients for face to face consultations when clinically appropriate by invite only; using entrances at front and rear of the building. Please understand that we are protecting both patients and our clinicians by keeping face to face consultations to a minimum. We will not be opening the front doors as normal for people to “pop in” whilst social distancing guidelines continue to be in place.
We will continue to promote on-line ordering of prescriptions/picking up/delivery from pharmacy, this has worked excellently over the past 12 months. Please email our team warccg.prescriptionsteam@nhs.net alternatively you can post your prescription in the mail box on the gate of the staff car park or via royal mail (please allow enough time for us to receive/process).
The Practice has adopted a policy of requesting face coverings for all patients/visitors. All team members will continue to wear appropriate PPE. Staff temperatures are checked twice daily. Patient facing staff also have Lateral Flow Testing twice a week to check they are Covid 19 infection free.
Our team are supporting the Covid vaccine program roll-out; staff assist in booking the vaccine appointments and are also deployed to work at the centres providing vaccinators and administration support. This is reducing staff levels on site at the Practice; we ask for your understanding if we take longer to answer telephones/deal with queries etc.
We also continue to work under social distance guidance and our teams are working in "bubbles" or from home when their role permits.
Our team are planning for the next phase of the pandemic response and how we will provide a service to our patients whilst adhering to guidance from the Government and NHS England.
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https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-guide-for-older-adults
COVID VACCINE:
We are working with a number of GP surgeries in Warrington to provide the Covid 19 vaccine programme.We get extremely short notice for when the vaccine is available and are only given a pro-rata number of vaccines.
We are in the process of booking covid vaccination appointments for our patients into our local vaccination site at Warrington Wolves stadium. We will be in contact soon by text. If you are unable to book via the link, you will be able to telephone the surgery. Please note we will NOT send EMAIL invites, we have had reports of scam emails being sent, please do not respond to them.
Our staff are being deployed to help with the booking of these appointments and also provision of the service.
We know lots of people will be eager to get protected but we are asking people not to contact us to get an appointment as you will not be able to get one until you are contacted. Patients will be contacted either by the Practice team by text or telephone. You may also will receive a letter from the National Booking Team, the appointments offered by the National Team may be out of town.
Please be patient with us, it is a vast programme and an additional workload for our Practice team.
Delay of 2nd dose: Surgeries received a directive from the Government and NHS England late 10th January 2021 to advise that we had to delay 2nd dose of the vaccines given late in December. The Priority is to ensure that more people receive their 1st dose.
The new medical advice is that the second dose of the vaccine remains effective when given up to 12 weeks after the first dose, and should be given towards the end of this 12 week period.
While you will need two doses of the vaccine to get the best long-term protection from the virus, you will still have a significant level of protection at 22 days after you received the first dose. The new guidance will also help ensure that as many people as possible benefit from the first dose of the vaccine as soon as possible. Please be reassured that there are no safety concerns in the new guidance, and it will not impact on how effective the vaccination is in protecting you from Covid-19 once the course is complete.
You do not need to call us. We will call you to reschedule your second vaccine appointment.
It is important to note that even when you have received your vaccine, you must continue to follow government guidance on social distancing and wearing a mask, as well as the additional measures in place in your area.
Vaccinations are being delivered according to priority groups identified by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The vaccinations may not take place at your GP practice, but rather a local vaccination service (led by GPs, practice nurses and community pharmacists) who are responsible for delivering the vaccine to people in your community.
Eligible groups
You should have the vaccine when it is offered if you are:
- living in a care home for older adults
- a frontline health care worker
- a frontline social care worker
- a carer working in a care home for older residents
Then the vaccine will also be offered in age order to:
- those aged over 80 years
- those aged over 75 years
- those aged over 70 years
- adults on the NHS shielded patient list
- those aged over 65 years
- adults under 65 years with long term conditions (see conditions below)
Those aged 50 to 64 will be offered it later.
Clinical conditions list:
- a blood cancer (such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma) (see further information below)
- diabetes
- dementia
- a heart problem
- a chest complaint or breathing difficulties, including bronchitis, emphysema or severe asthma
- a kidney disease
- a liver disease
- lowered immunity due to disease or treatment (such as HIV infection, steroid medication, chemotherapy or radiotherapy)
- rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or psoriasis
- have had an organ transplant
- had a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
- a neurological or muscle wasting condition
- a severe or profound learning disability
- a problem with your spleen, example sickle cell disease, or you have had your spleen removed
- are seriously overweight (BMI of 40 and above)
- are severely mentally ill
At the same time as the adults under 65 years with long term conditions the vaccine will also be offered to:
- adults who provide regular care for an elderly or disabled person
- younger adults in long stay nursing and residential settings
Please wait your turn. If you are not in the groups above, you will have to wait for a COVID-19 vaccination until more supplies are available. When more vaccine becomes available we will be offering it to more groups of the population.
Regards cancer
this is the guidance..
people with specific cancers:
- people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy
- people with lung cancer who are undergoing radical radiotherapy
- people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
- people having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
- people having other targeted cancer treatments that can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
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Video featuring local GPs urges people not to delay seeking treatment for any health concerns
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/ Mental Health and Anxiety
https://www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/coronavirus-covid-19/
https://breastcancernow.org/about-us/media/statements/advice-coronavirus-people-cancer
https://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/news/coronavirus-covid-19-advice
https://www.stroke.org.uk/news/coronavirus-covid-19-information-people-affected-stroke
https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/coronavirus British Lung Foundation
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health
https://sh24.org.uk/sexual-health
https://www.axess.clinic/ sexual health advice
The sender ID will be SHMC
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CALLING ALL VETERANS
We are trying to identify patients who are military veterans. Did you serve for at least one day as either a Regular or Reservist in the British Armed Forces? Then please inform the practice either speak to our receptionist or email warccg.stocktonheathadmin@nhs.net
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/military-healthcare/priority-nhs-treatment-for-veterans/
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In accordance with GP contract 2019, we have now stopped using our fax machines.
We will send correspondence by secure nhs.net mail.
We will send and receive documents via a secure NHS mail;
For General enquiries:
warccg.StocktonHeathMC@nhs.net
For prescription queries/orders please use
warccg.prescriptionsteam@nhs.net
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My Life Warrington website gives information about what is available in Warrington for the following topics. Health and Wellbeing, Support for Carers and Child Care. Our Patient Advisors will use this site to help navigate you to services to give you extra support.
https://www.mylifewarrington.co.uk/kb5/warrington/directory/home.page
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Referal to secondary care or community care
NHS England, BMA and N.A.P.P have provided a new patient information leaflet to explain what happens when a patient is referred to a specialist/consultant and what the process is with regards medication and fit to work notes when under the care of the specialist/consultant. See the link below:
Click below to read patient information about what we prescribe in Warrington.......
General Data Protection Regulation Changes
Patient Privacy Notice
Privacy Notice - GP connect South Warrington Network
General Practice Transparency Notice for GPES Data for Pandemic Planning and Research (COVID-19)
Prescription Collection
On 25th May 2018 General Data Protection Regulations are changed and Stockton Heath Medical Centre will be breaching these regulations if we give your prescription to someone without your permission.
If you want to delegate responsibility to another person (including a pharmacy) to pick up your prescription speak to your local pharmacy to arrange this service.
Important points of note:
- You can withdraw permission at any time by informing the Surgery and the Pharmacy.
- Some pharmacies no longer pick up paper prescriptions for patients.
- Your prescription can be automatically sent to a pharmacy so no one has to pick it up from the GP surgery (dependent on medications).
Collecting letters/Fit to Work notes/copies of blood forms/results:
We will ask you to provide proof of your ID when you collect the paperwork and we log this on your medical record. If you are asking someone else to collect on your behalf, you will need to let us know the name of the person and ask them to bring proof of ID with them.
CQC Focused Inspection July 2018
CQC Follow up Inspection March 2017
CQC report February 2016
(Site updated 11/04/2021)