News

Admin Queries only (Open from 8.00am till 6.00pm Monday – Friday)

Changes from 3^rd February 2025

To ensure we do not compromise on clinical safety and to ensure that we can offer more routine appointments, we will only be accepting econsults for administrative queries. Please do not submit an econsult for clinical matters or to request an appointment, as these will not be seen by a clinician and will be returned to you.

How does it work?

Complete a simple form about your administrative query

One of our clerical team will review this

We will respond via email (please check your junk folder)/phone call or text

How do I complete an Administrative Request?

1. If you have an administrative request - select ‘I want administrative help’. Do Not use this for anything clinical as the request will be rejected and you will be directed to recomplete via the clinical route.
2. Confirm your details and that you are not submitting any clinical request via the Administrative process.
3. Select the most appropriate option for your Administrative request.
   1. Discuss a recent test
   2. Sick / Fit notes
   3. GP letter
   4. Medical Report
   5. Medical Examination
   6. Other Requests (this can be used for anything not listed above, such as for updates on documents or paperwork such as referral letters).
4. Complete the relevant questions and reconfirm your details.
5. Submit the form.
6. Wait for a response from our team. You will receive a response within 3 working days.

IMPORTANT: Pharmacy First

Your local pharmacy team are qualified healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to help with many health concerns. Additionally, community pharmacies are now the first level of treatment for a range of seven common health conditions via the Pharmacy First service, which covers:

• Earache (1-17 years)
• Impetigo (1 year and over)
• Infected insect bite (1 year and over)
• Shingles (18 years and over)
• Sinusitis (12 years and over)
• Sore throat (5 years and over)
• Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women (16-64 years)

Please note, clinical queries will not be dealt with via this platform.

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