There are currently 3 ways that patients will be invited for a covid vaccination. Please share to help your local community feel reassured they will not miss out!

Covid vaccination latest:

Statement from the South Lincolnshire COVID-19 Vaccination programme

Since the approval of the first vaccine was received practices across South Lincolnshire have been working closely together to prepare to roll it out to as many people as possible as quickly as possible, and we had hoped that this would allow us to begin vaccinations prior to Christmas. Unfortunately despite practices being ready this was not possible due to issues outside of our control at a national level.

Obviously rolling out a vaccine programme quickly on this scale across the country was always going to be difficult; however huge progress has been made. Like patients we have been frustrated that we have not been able to begin sooner, but we are delighted that we can begin this weekend.

Unlike a normal vaccine clinic that all practices are hugely experienced in running, because of the specific requirements of the first vaccine to be become available (Pfizer/Biontech) it is simply not possible at present to deliver the vaccine to every GP surgery in the country and get this rolled out quickly, and as such we’ve been asked to work together and deliver from one local site initially, and to ensure this is as accessible as possible for as many people as possible, this site will be in Spalding.

The site will be staffed by teams from all our local practices, so you will hopefully see familiar faces! Practices will be contacting people eligible for the vaccine directly and will confirm the location, time and date, as well as everything you need to know in advance.

If you or a relative are offered an appointment, please arrive at your allotted time, and note we will not be able to offer a vaccine without an appointment so please do not come without one and wait until you are contacted by the NHS.

We’d ask for people to be accompanied within the site only if it is essential, to keep the number of people on site as small as possible and make social distancing as easy as possible as safety is our priority. We would recommend that you bring a list of current medication (or your yellow book if you have one!) with you as this will help during the process.

After you’ve been checked in, and had your vaccine you will be asked to wait for 15 minutes before you can leave and as such we hope that the whole process will take no longer than 30 minutes.

Whilst we appreciate that asking our patients to travel is not ideal and it is our hope that as the vaccine becomes more readily available, and following the introduction of the second vaccine (Oxford/Astrazneca) which can be transported more easily we will soon be able to offer more options, more times, and more importantly more people the vaccine, including from your local practice, but rest assured we are doing all we can to support our community to get access to the vaccine.

For the next couple of weeks though our priority is to reach the first two cohorts identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisations (JCVI). These are care home residents and staff (mainly using the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine) and the over 80’s and Health and Social Care staff (mainly using the Pfizer vaccine), but we hope to quickly move on to more cohorts in line with the timelines the Government has laid out and supply of vaccine.

In developing our response and plans we always consider the best interests of our patients, and have continued to fight the case for our community to have fast, convenient and safe access to the vaccines. We hope we will be able to provide more regular and detailed updates on the programme in the future, something which has also been out of our control.

We are extremely proud of all the people around the world who have made this vaccine programme possible, and whilst we had hoped to be one of the first areas in the country to be delivering it, we feel a huge sense of relief and optimism that soon the vaccine will be here, as we feel this marks the beginning of the end. For now, we urge everyone to keep following the Government guidelines, and we will call you forward for your vaccination as soon as possible.

Isolating at home due to Covid.

Please see leaflet below for advice on isolating at home and when to seek further help.

Covid - Isolating at home

2020 has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone, as Christmas approaches these feelings can become even more overwhelming. You don't have to suffer in silence, the mental health helpline is available 24/7 and can provide emotional support, advice and guidance if you are feeling low, anxious or stressed, and think you might benefit from speaking to someone.

There are also lots of apps available, details of which can be found here: Mental Health Resources

MHM

Guidance for children with a temperature:
School flowchart

DVLA - Drivers licence renewal

During COVID many drivers licences have expired and DVLA gave extensions so that they could continue to drive and work. For many drivers though this extension is coming to an end. Drivers are now being told by DVLA to ask their GP if they are “fit to drive” so that they can continue to drive under Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (RTA 1988).

Most GPs are not confident to advise patients whether or not they are fit to drive, and in normal circumstances we would provide a factual report for DVLA so that their expert medical advisers can decide upon fitness.

For this reason, we are unable to provide this assurance, however we are able to provide factual information about a patient’s health. Please note that due to current demand these may take up to 30 days to complete.

Prescription requests

To minimise footfall inside the surgery all paper prescription requests can now be posted through the letter box on the outside of the building.

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PATIENTS COMING TO THE PRACTICE

From Thursday 14th May you MUST wear a face covering before you enter the building and wear it for the duration of your visit. This is to protect other people from your viral spread if you have covid19 without any symptoms. We are not able to provide you with our clinical masks. You can use a scarf if needed, or use this link for ideas. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52609777. Thank you for understanding that this helps to keep our community and team safe.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Letter for parents of children returning to school

Med3 sick notes - Advice for patients

Patient survey.

From 10th-15th June 2019 our Patient Participation Group members assisted in collecting surveys about the practice from our patients, the results of which can be found below:

Patient survey June 2019

We are confident that our website will provide clear and concise help and give our patients the information they require in an easy and convenient format. It has been designed with the patient’s needs at the forefront of everything, from checking surgery times to letting us know what you think of us.

Serving You

Our dedicated team are here to treat those minor ailments that occur as well as providing specialist management of long-term conditions and clinics covering a wide range of healthcare issues. The technology also means you can now do a lot of things from the comfort of your home such as order a repeat prescription or cancel an appointment.

Partners in Care

Once registered, patients and healthcare professionals work together to ensure the most appropriate care is provided. This partnership philosophy extends even further and our active patient group exists to make sure that patient needs and the practice offering are always heading in the same direction.