Category: General

An NHS number is a 10-digit number, like 485 777 3456

Your NHS number is unique to you. It helps healthcare staff and service providers identify you correctly and match your details to your health records.

You can find your NHS number online by using the Find your NHS number service.

You can also find it by logging in to:

• the NHS App (you'll need to register if you have not used it before)
• some GP online services

If patients wish to opt themselves out from receiving the national COVID vaccine invites, they can do so via the link below or by calling 119.

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/covid-19-services/covid-19-vaccination-services/choose-your-covid-19-vaccination-invitation-preference/

The practice will not be offering appointments for the autumn covid booster vaccine. You can book an appointment for your covid booster at a local pharmacy, calling 119 or via the national booking site. The national booking site opens on Monday 23^rd September 2024. Book, cancel or change a COVID-19 vaccination appointment - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

The switch over to the new system is due to take place tomorrow (Wednesday 11^th September 2024). We do not expect any issues for patients trying to contact the surgery.

The new system will be a web-based telephone system that allows unlimited calls to the practice, meaning you will never get the engaged tone when contacting the practice.

You will have 6 options when contacting the surgery:

1. Appointment
2. Cancel appointment
3. Home visit
4. Secretary team
5. General enquires
6. Prescriptions

The new system will let you know what position you are in the queue. You will also be given the option for a call back if you do not want to wait in the queue. This means you can hang up the phone and your place in the queue will remain: our phone system will automatically call you back when you reach the front of the queue. Please keep your phone with you if you choose this option.

Please note the practice telephone numbers will remain the same.

Queens Road Surgery: 01207 585890
Moorside Branch Site: 01207 509278

We have started to send out invites to those eligible patients for the new RSV vaccine. Although this is a new vaccine being offered to the older population it has been given to young babies for a number of years. Please see below further information regarding the vaccine or more in depth information can be found on the NHS website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv/

What the RSV vaccine is for?

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major respiratory virus that is common over the winter period, typically November to February. While the symptoms are mild for many, RSV can also be severe in older adults, causing pneumonia and flare-ups of existing lung disease and other long-term conditions.

The symptoms of RSV:

RSV may cause a cough or a cold, wheezing, shortness of breath, tiredness and fever. Most cases are not serious and clear up within 2 to 3 weeks. You can find out more about the symptoms of RSV on the NHS site.

From  September 2024 in England, pregnant women at week 28 or later and everyone aged 75 to 79 or turning 75 years old on or after the 1 September will be offered a vaccine to protect themselves or their babies against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Is more than one dose of RSV vaccine needed?

Pregnant women should have the RSV vaccine in every pregnancy – this will give your new baby the best protection.

In older adults, a single dose is expected to give good protection for a few years. A single dose of vaccine will help to boost protection as you reach an age group at highest risk of serious RSV infection.

Preventing the spread of RSV:

RSV can spread through coughs and sneezes.

You can help to prevent the spread of the virus by covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze (ideally with a tissue, or else into the bend of your elbow), and you can wash your hands with warm soapy water frequently to kill the germs.

GP Practices are facing severe shortfalls in funding that have been cumulative over recent years.  This is causing some practices to collapse and hand back their NHS contracts.  This then puts even more pressure on the surviving practices, who then take the extra work, and patients, who then find it even more difficult to get an appointment.

We are very limited in the action we can take – no strike action is planned. We are taking some 'work to rule' steps in order to escalate our dispute with NHS England/Department of Health.

Queens Road will not be capping appointment numbers as such, but when we consider our service to be full, patients will be re-directed to 111. We are taking action over our referral process which should be easier and more efficient for the GP, and less accepting of consultant advice-only replies to our referrals, where then your GP has to carry out further tests, follow-up and onward management, and requesting more consultant appointments from our referrals. We are not engaging with non-NHS services requiring prescriptions, follow-up, and monitoring.

Overall, we will be continuing to try and do our best for patient's interests.

Please see the BMA website for further information. There is useful overview here

About the service

The NHS111 Mental Health Triage team provides mental health support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to people of all ages.

What we do

We provide a 24/7 mental health crisis pathway thats available for self-referral. The service improves safety and is able to detect early traits of mental illness and relapse, allowing early referral and treatment. The Mental Health Triage team has a wide range of skills including on the phone CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) which allows you to receive the care you need in the comfort of your own home.

The team also work to support people to access alternative ‘Safe Places’ in the Community for short-term support. By exploring these options the team reduce the need to attend A&E which can often be stressful, distressing and avoided with specialist support over the phone.

Accessing the service

You can access the service by calling 111 or by visiting NHS 111 online .

What happens next?

When you first contact NHS111 you will recieve a clinical triage by a NHS 111 Health Advisor. Depending on whether you are known to services and what your need is at the time you will be provided with appropriate intervention, support or advice or referred into:

• next day GP appointment or directly booked into an appointment (when the direct booking function is fully available)
• self-referral to Improving Access to Psychlogical Therapies (IAPT) services that are available such as iTalk services Talking Change Psychological Services and Steps 2 Wellbeing
• alternative crisis services in the community such as safe havens, wellbeing centres and community crisis support centres
• signposted to other voluntary mental health helplines e.g. SANE, Samaritans
• an alternative and appropriate community service such as debt advice, housing need, drug and alcohol
• Community Mental Health teams (CMHT) or Child Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
• Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team.

We will be holding a flu vaccine clinic on Saturday 12^th October by appointment only. Eligible patients will be sent a booking link to book their appointment. Alternatively, you can call the surgery to book your appointment on 01207 585890 or 01207 509278.

Eligibility criteria below. The government has announced that the flu campaign cannot start until October 2024.

• those aged 65 years and over
• those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book, Influenza Chapter 19)
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants

*Pregnant women will be invited for NHS flu vaccination from 1^st September 2024

More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-flu-immunisation-programme-plan-2024-to-2025