Covid-19 Vaccination programme

12 January 2022

Stansted Surgery and Covid-19 vaccination programme update

𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰:

Booster for all remaining 16 and 17 year olds from 91 days following their 2nd dose.

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝟭𝟮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 (𝐕𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝐁𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲) 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀

“For those under 18 who are not in a high risk group a 12 week interval is preferred. This is based on precautionary advice from the JCVI based on emerging evidence of a lower rate of myocarditis in countries that use schedules of 8 to 12 weeks. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭).”

Booster for young people aged 12-15 years old who are in a clinical risk group, or who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed, from 91 days after 2nd dose.

Booster for young people aged 12-15 years old who are severely immunosuppressed from 91 days after primary course. Please note for severely immunosuppressed individuals, the primary vaccination course comprises 3 doses, and the booster is the 4th dose for this group.

PLEASE NOTE: adults and high risk children need to be at least 4 weeks after COVID infection AND 12-18 year olds not at high risk need to be 12 weeks after COVID infection.

Availability added for this week Saturday 15th January 2022

Please book via this link https://book.southuttlesford.nhs.uk/

𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬?
Anyone eligible from any surgery as follows:
1st or 2nd doses (8weeks after 1st)
Over 18 and need a 3rd primary dose (as instructed by hospital consultants, 8 weeks after 2nd dose)
Over 18 who need a booster vaccination, where 12 weeks has passed since the 2nd dose)

20 December 2021

Further to our update below, please understand that we are running on reduced clinical capacity up to the end of December 2021. We are still incredibly busy on the reception phones, but please note that the Clinical Team is prioritising the calls we receive according to urgency. You may not receive a call back from the clinical team on the same day you request it. Please only call us if the matter is urgent, or if assistance is required for those aged under 5, or pregnant ladies.

We understand that is is frustrating – we are doing a best to cope with the demand for the covid-19 vaccinations, and the demand for our usual service – but please understand that currently, it is not business as usual at the surgery.

Please be kind to our staff – we are working incredibly hard at the moment.

15 December 2021

To all our patients

You will be aware that GP Surgeries have been asked to increase our work on the Covid-19 vaccination programme, in a bid to get everyone needing a Booster vaccination vaccinated by 31 December 2021.

To support us with this work, we have been instructed to focus only on urgent work in the weeks in the run up to 31 December 2021.

This means that, with immediate effect, we ask patients to only contact us with urgent medical matters. Please understand that we will have a reduced workforce between now and 31 December 2021, as staff are being diverted to the vaccination programme. This does not mean that we are closed  – we will still be here to pick up urgent matters and ask that you call us if you need us. Parents or guardians of children under 5 and pregnant ladies should contact us regardless of the urgency of their medical problem. When you speak to our reception team, please give as much details of your problem, so the team can prioritise accordingly…but if your medical matter can wait, please contact us in the new year.

We are asking our patients to support us in the next 2 weeks or so. We understand that this is frustrating for patients, and we understand that there are concerns how we will catch up on any paused work in the New Year. Please be assured that we will continue to do the best we can for our patients. Please don’t direct frustration at our staff – we are working under tremendous pressure, we are tired and stressed… please be respectful to our staff.

What does this mean in reality?

Every day, we will be vaccinating out of as many clinical rooms as we can. We will be using a combination of our vaccination programme volunteers, our own staff, staff from South Uttlesford Primary Care Network. We will also be getting support from some of our PCN member practices. We aim to do approx. 1000 vaccinations every day, from Saturday 18 December 2021 to 23 December, and the same on 29,30 and 31^st December. There will always be a GP on site to deal with urgent cases and will see patients face to face if clinically indicated. Reception and Prescriptions should run as usual (though some staff may have to be diverted during busy times). Our Admin and Management Teams will be diverted almost exclusively to the vaccination programme.

What if I already have a prebooked appointment booked between now and 31 December 2021?

We have cancelled very few appointments, but your appointment may have been moved to a different clinician. We apologise for the inconvenience, and the disruption in Continuity of Care, but hope you understand the reasoning behind it. We have not cancelled many Nursing Team appointments, and will continue with the clinically important procedures, such as Childhood immunisations, Cervical screening ect. Patients may struggle to obtain appointments with the Nursing Team between now and end December, but again, if the matter is urgent, such as a dressing requirement, we will accommodate you. Our phlebotomy availability will be reduced, but we will continue to fit in urgent blood test requests received via a GP.

Who are we vaccinating now?

Anyone from any surgery aged 12 and over, who needs a 1st dose

Anyone aged 12 and over, from any surgery, who needs a 2nd dose (12 weeks after 1st dose) 

Anyone aged over 18, from any surgery, who needs a 3rd dose (as instructed by hospital consultants, 8 weeks after 2nd dose)

Anyone aged over 18, from any surgery, who needs a booster vaccination, where 12 weeks has passed since the 2nd dose)

PLEASE NOTE: adults and high risk children need to be at least 4 weeks after covid infection AND 12-18 year olds not at high risk need to be 12 weeks after covid infection.

We would like to thank our patients for your continued support and understanding. We also want to thank our army of volunteers, who supports us with the vaccination programme.

We wish you all a peaceful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

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Covid-19 vaccination programme update – 12 December 2021

Following this evening’s announcement about the acceleration of the Covid-19 vaccination booster programme, we are currently waiting for confirmation on the amount of vaccine we are getting over the next couple of weeks, so we can plan accordingly.

We remain committed to do as much as we can to support this vaccination programme.

Please please please help us by not calling us, or your local surgery about the vaccination programme. We will share updates here as and when we receive them. Please share them with your friends and family.

I am aware that our online booking platform shows no availability at the moment. We will release more as soon as we can. Please be patient with us and respectful to our teams. We will deliver as many vaccinations as we can get our hands on.

To book an appointment, please follow this link https://book.southuttlesford.nhs.uk

Covid-19 vaccination programme update – 22 November 2021

We are unable to host a vaccination clinic this weekend as we have urgent maintenance work that has to happen over the weekend.

Bookings are now open for Saturday 4 December 2021. Anyone who is aged 40 and over, or in the original Group 6, who will be at the 6 month mark post 2nd vaccination, can book an appointment.

This clinic will be mostly Moderna vaccine. We will have a handful of Pfizer and Astra Zeneca available, but only to a very specific group of patients (i.e. those who must have AZ or Pfizer for medical reasons).

We will shortly be releasing some availability for this week Thursday and Friday (25 and 26 November)

To book an appointment, please follow this link https://book.southuttlesford.nhs.uk

Covid-19 vaccination programme – 2 November 2021

More availability for Covid-19 vaccinations now released. Please note the information below before proceeding.

The new on-line booking platform is working well. If you book an appointment via the portal, you can assume it is booked when you get to this screen:

You may or may not get a text reminder – but with the large footfall booking on our new platform, the texts doesn’t always go out. One household only needs to book one appointment – i.e. if you intend to go into the vaccination room with other members of your household, you only need to book one slot for one member of the household.

We have released capacity for Sunday 7th November, and Saturday 13th November. There are also some mid-week appointments available for week commencing 8 November.

You can book appointments for 1st, 2nd or booster vaccinations. We can vaccinate those aged 12-15 who missed their vaccination at school. You can be registered with any surgery.

You can book your appointment here: https://book.southuttlesford.nhs.uk

Using the portal helps Stansted Surgery staff tremendously – last week our admin team received 4000 calls!

If you absolutely cannot use the on-line portal – please call 01279 818057 or 01279 818058

Thank you

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme Update

South Uttlesford Primary Care Network

25 October 2021

Today we are launching a new online booking platform to make booking appointments for Covid vaccinations easier for patients – see information on how to access this platform further below this update. Please use the link to book appointments to help us manage the workload of the Covid-19 vaccination programme alongside our daily work. We will upload more appointment availability as and when we add more clinics.

Who can book an appointment?

Boosters:

Anyone – from any surgery – in the original groups 1 to 9 – where 6 months had passed since 2^nd vaccination. For clarity on the vaccination groups, please see this link

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-care-home-and-healthcare-settings-posters/covid-19-vaccination-first-phase-priority-groups

1^st and 2nd doses

Anyone from any surgery. This also includes 12-15 year old children who missed the vaccination at school.

How many doses do children and young people receive? Please see this link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/who-can-get-the-vaccine/

New On-line booking Platform

This is easy and quick to use. We do not bombard you with questions. We just want your name, date of birth, and mobile phone number.

Please clink the link below to book an appointment. Currently we have added available slots until Sat 6 November. We will add more slots as vaccine and capacity is known

We know not everyone can use on-line platforms. For those who can’t, please call 01279 818056 or 01279 818058 to book

Covid-19 Vaccination plans week commencing 18 October 2021

We have availability throughout the week for pre-bookable appointments, and are also doing a walk-in clinic on Saturday 23 October 2021. These appointments are available to patients from any surgery.

Appointments are available for 1st, 2nd, booster and also 3rd doses. A very specific group of patients qualify for a 3rd dose 8 weeks after their second, and will then go on to have a booster later. These patients will be invited very specifically by their own surgeries. If you have a letter from your consultant advising you to have a 3rd dose, and is not a patient with Stansted, Elsenham, John Tasker House, Angel Lane or Eden Surgeries, you can still attend, but must bring your consultant letter with you to show us you are eligible.

Monday 18 October 2021

Appointments available 9:30am to 1pm – to book please call 01279 818057 or 01279 818058 between 10am and 3pm

Tuesday 19 October 2021

Appointments available 9:30am to 1pm – to book please call 01279 818057 or 01279 818058 between 10am and 3pm

Wednesday 20 October 2021

Appointments available 9:30am to 5:30pm – to book please call 01279 818057 or 01279 818058 between 10am and 3pm

Thursday 21 October 2021

Appointments available 9:30am to 1pm – to book please call 01279 818057 or 01279 818058 between 10am and 3pm

Friday 22 October 2021

Appointments available 9:30am to 1pm – to book please call 01279 818057 or 01279 818058 between 10am and 3pm

Saturday 23 October 2021

Walk-in Clinic 9am to 1pm – no need to book an appointment

To minimise the impact on the people of Stansted, and reduce the likeliness of queuing, please attend as follows:

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This Saturday 9 October 2021 from 9am to 1pm we are hosting another walk-in clinic for BOOSTER vaccinations for those aged 70 and over. All booster vaccinations are Pfizer. There is no need to book an appointment. Only those who have received their 2nd dose more than 6 months ago may attend.

Open to patients of Stansted, Elsenham, John Tasker House, Angel Lane and Eden Surgeries

In order to minimise the impact on the people of Stansted, and to reduce the likeliness of queueing, please attend the clinic as follows:

We are eager to complete the 70 and over age group so we can start working on the next age groups.