We have been sending out text messages to eligible patients to book a covid vaccine. We have also sent a separate message out while doing this to confirm these are not a scam. Please click the following link for help with how to book your appointment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V01yb0272k&feature=youtu.b
If you are over 70 and haven’t had your first vaccination yet you can contact the NHS National Booking Service for an appointment.
We are working to contact all patients over 70 by the middle of February but if you haven’t heard from us yet and want to book an appointment, please visit www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination.
This will allow you to choose a time slot and location that suits you. If you are not able to book online you can call 119 free of charge, between 7am and 11pm seven days a week. (Please be aware that phone lines can get very busy so you may prefer to call later in the day when it is can be less busy.)
This is only available for first vaccination appointments and if you are aged 70 or over. Everyone else will still need to wait to be contacted by the NHS when it is their turn for a vaccination or for an appointment for their second vaccination if they don’t already have one.
You still need an appointment to get a vaccination so please do not go to any of the centres unless you have one booked. This is important because booking slots are carefully managed to allow for social distancing and the number of appointments is based on the supply available that day.
We are also contacting all patients who are registered as clinically extremely vulnerable and have been asked to shield, as well as people in the eligible cohorts who are housebound. If you haven’t been contacted yet, you should hear from us this week.
Finding your NHS number
You can still book an appointment if you don’t have your NHS number, provided you are registered with a GP practice. However, it will be quicker if you have your number: this will be on any letter or document you have received from the NHS, including prescriptions, or you can find it online at
www.nhs.uk/find-nhs-number
PLEASE NOTE THE NATIONAL BOOKING SYSTEM IS A CENTRALISED SERVICE AND IS NOT RUN BY THE PRACTICE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERES, PLEASE TELEPHONE THE NUMBER ON THE LETTER AND NOT THE PRACTICE. THANKS
If you are invited for a vaccine, please act on your invite straight away and make sure you attend your appointments when you arrange them.
Please note that vaccinations are free of charge and only available through the NHS. Anyone who claims to be able to provide you with a vaccine for a fee is likely to be committing a crime and should be reported to the Police online or by calling 112.
In the meantime, please continue to abide by all the social distancing and hand hygiene guidance, which will still save lives
For more information about the vaccine, please visit www.nhs.uk or click here to view the F.A.Q.
In addition, the following leaflets from Public Health England are available on the gov.uk website
- Why do I have to wait?
- Guide for adults
- Guide for healthcare workers
- What to expect after the vaccine
- Pregnancy
We are experiencing extremely high volumes of telephone calls. Please wherever possible use our online system by following the blue link on our home page. The online system called GP Online allows patients to have an online consultation with the surgery without attending in person or having to wait in the telephone queue. You can use this system to make an admin enquiry eg about a sick note, or a clinical enquiry. PLEASE NOTE THIS SYSTEM SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR URGENT MEDICAL ISSUES. Once you have logged your query, someone from the surgery will contact you either the same day or the next day, depending upon the time you log the enquiry. Please click on the blue link on the home page of our website and try it for yourself! This system is particularly useful during this coronavirus outbreak as it avoids you having to come to the surgery in person.
Face coverings when accessing GP practices in the Wakefield area
We are asking all our patients to wear a face covering or something else that can cover the mouth and nose, such as a scarf, if you come to the surgery for an appointment.
You can use a simple scarf or bandana that ties behind your head or make your own ‘no-sew’ face coverings using the advice available online at the gov.uk website. Simply search for ‘face covering’. Face coverings are also available to buy in shops or online.
Face coverings should not be worn by children under three and people who would find wearing them difficult (such as people with breathing difficulties).
Clinicians that are seeing patients face-to-face may be wearing personal protective equipment (face mask/gloves/aprons). This is for your safety as well as theirs.
Further advice about wearing face coverings can be found here
www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own
PLEASE SEE OUR CORONAVIRUS TAB AT THE RIGHT HAND SIDE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO HELP OUR PATIENTS