PCASR leaflet March 2023.docx

PCAS East and West Kent comms updated.docx

From the 19th July 2021 the surgery will continue with the following:

Patients coming to the surgery will still need to wear a mask, use the hand sanitiser upon arrival, socially distance and use the intercom before entering the surgery. Our staff will continue to wear appropriate PPE.

We have made this decision as patients coming to the surgery are often sick, vulnerable and may be unvaccinated due to medical reason. We feel that these precautions will help protect everyone. We also need to minimise the number of our staff catching COVID so we can maintain a functioning service, so for these reasons, these measures are vital.

Our consultations will continue as they have throughout the pandemic and will be offered via phone, video or face to face (if clinically appropriate). We are also using e-Consult, which can be seen below.

We have all come so far in trying to minimise the impact of COVID and need to continue to protect our staff and patients.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind people that we have a Zero Tolerance policy in place at the practice. Our staff have been experiencing higher levels of physical, emotional and verbal abuse. We do realise that people can become upset when they are poorly but abuse towards staff is NOT acceptable.

Where patients hav has a vaccination outside of England (i.e. in other countries or in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), they will need to ask their GP to record their vaccine by providing the information, so it can be correctly entered into their clinical record.

There is currently no capability to have the data for vaccinations administered abroad entered into the Point of Care systems, which means that the patient's vaccinations from abroad cannot be visible on the NHS App. However, please note that there is a planned data share for vaccination records between England, Scotland and Wales. This is currently due to occur in mid-July. This will also happen for vaccinations administered in Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands at a later date. Following this, the patient will be able to view their vaccination records on the NHS App.

Until this data share is carried out, unfortunately, the data will not be present in NIMS or the NHS App as the COVID Pass section of the app uses data from NHSD DPS (Data Processing Service) which is usually entered through Pinnacle, NIVS or NIMS.

PLEASE BE ADVISED TO KEEP OR OBTAIN ANY PHYSICAL PROOF THAT YOU HAVE HAD YOUR COVID VACCINATIONS!

Please note: Patients that have had their first vaccine abroad and need a second dose in England will not be able to book on NBS/119, however you will be able to access a walk-in service. Information regarding walk-in services can be found at this website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/find-a-walk-in-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-site/

The practice was recently asked to move the booking of Covid vaccinations to the national booking service. Any patient wanting to book a 1st or 2nd Covid vaccination should now telephone 119 or visit www.nhs.uk/book-coronavirus-vaccination. If you would prefer to be vaccinated at our centre please request or select Ashford Stour PCN.

If you have had your first vaccination more than 11 weeks ago and have not been invited for your second dose please contact the national booking service as above.

If you have received and accepted an invitation for a Covid-19 vaccine we would strongly encourage you to prioritise coming to the appointment. If for unavoidable reasons you cannot make it please call 119 to cancel so that they can invite someone else.

We would ask that anyone who does not have their own transport tries to arrange a lift with a friend or relative.

From 17 May 2021, people in England who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can demonstrate their vaccination status for international travel. A full course is currently two doses of any approved vaccine. Vaccine status will be available from:  

• the NHS App which you can download from app stores  
• the NHS website  
  
  It may take more than a week for your identity to be checked and verified so you can use this service. 
  
  If you cannot access the online services, and you have had 2 vaccines, you can request a paper letter from the NHS by calling 119. Only call 119 if you are due to travel abroad in the near future and have had your second dose more than 5 working days ago. It may take 7 working days for the letter to arrive. 
  
  This practice is not able to provide you with a letter that shows your COVID-19 vaccination status. 
  
  When you're planning your travel, check the latest information on demonstrating your COVID-19 status when travelling abroad on the gov.uk website. Make sure there is time to get proof of your vaccination status before you leave. 

Information Regarding The AstraZeneca Vaccine 

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said there is no evidence the vaccine has caused problems, and people should still go and get vaccinated when asked to do so. "Blood clots can occur naturally and are not uncommon. More than 11 million doses of the Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine have now been administered across the UK." said Phil Bryan of the MHRA. Please click the below link for further information.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-response-to-danish-authorities-action-to-temporarily-suspend-the-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine

Please click the link below to see the JCVI Guidance for priority groups (cohort).

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-groups-for-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-advice-from-the-jcvi-30-december-2020/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation-advice-on-priority-groups-for-covid-19-vaccination-30-december-2020

Please click the link below to see the NHS Coronavirus Information page.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/

Please click the link below to see latest Government guidance on Coronavirus.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance#guidance-for-the-public