Following the COVID-19 booster announcement from the Prime Minister on Sunday 12 December 2021, all GP practices and pharmacies are working to provide vaccinations for all eligible adults aged over 18 in line with national timeframes.
We need to free-up staff to deliver this vaccination programme so we have to prioritise GP services and pause some routine healthcare appointments. We will continue to deliver patient care and will focus our support on those most in need as outlined below.
If you have an appointment booked with us please assume that this is going ahead and attend as planned. We will contact you if we need to change your appointment: you do not need to contact us.
Still here for you when you need us most
While we need to pause some routine services, there are some things that we know cannot wait. Please continue to contact us if you (or someone you care for)
- have a serious or urgent health concern that you need to speak to someone about today;
- have worrying symptoms that could be a sign of cancer and need investigating;
- have been contacted about booking cervical and other screening or immunisations;
- have a complex long-term condition that you need ongoing help with;
- have a serious mental illness and need support;
- have a learning disability and need medical help.
For all other things we would encourage you to seek help in other ways as described below.
Accessing our services
If phone lines are busy, please use our online form to seek help.
When contacting us please tell us as much as you can about what’s wrong so that help direct you to the healthcare professional best suited for your health care needs which might be a GP, nurse or another specialist such as a physiotherapist, pharmacist or paramedic. The information you provide will also help us to prioritise your care if it’s something urgent.
Our priority will be to ensure you receive care quickly and might offer you an telephone, video or face-to-face appointment, arrange a home visit or refer you to another service.
Other sources of help
There are a number of ways to get health advice and care if you, a family member or a friend feel ill.
- Visit the NHS website– for advice and information on how to look after yourself and your family. It covers thousands of illnesses and conditions: nhs.uk
- Visit a pharmacist – for expert advice and low-cost medicines to ease your symptoms and help treat your condition. Pharmacists are trained to spot worrying symptoms that require urgent medical help. Every area has a late opening pharmacy and most have consulting rooms where you can ask for advice in private. Go to nhs.uk to find your nearest open pharmacist.
- Visit 111.nhs.ukor call 111 – for free, round the clock help when your GP is closed, when it’s an urgent but not a life-threatening 999 situation, or if you are unsure where to go to get the right help for your medical condition. You can telephone 111 to get straight through to mental health advice.
COVID-19 vaccinations
We are contacting patients registered with us and will call you in to be vaccinated when a vaccine becomes available. Please wait to hear from us rather than calling us to check or make an appointment. This will help to keep phone lines free for patients needing medical help. You can also book a vaccination through the national booking service website or go to the Healthier Future website to check your eligibility for a vaccination, see answers to frequently asked questions, or find out about walk-in appointments.
Housebound patients
We will continue to provide home visits, where necessary, for housebound patients who need to be see in person and who have no other alternative due to immobility or very serious ongoing health conditions.
Housebound patients are a priority for COVID-19 boosters. If you haven’t yet heard from us please be reassured that we will contact you to make an appointment as soon as we can.