FACE MASKS

On Wednesday 8 December 2021, Wallingbrook Health Group will be changing telephone systems to a new provider; X-on Surgery Connect.

NHS England are encouraging GP Surgeries to move to a cloud based telephone system. The new cloud based systems bring in many benefits for patients and clinicians.

Our new system will be able to hold calls in a queue, informing patients of their position.

As before, all calls into and from the practice will be recorded for training and monitoting purposes.

We hope callers do not experience any issues as we move systems and thank you for your patietns and understanding.

Patient data from general practice has significantly contributed to the improvement of health and care services and treatments for many years. NHS Digital is making improvements to how data is collected from general practice, with a new framework for data extraction called the General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR) collection.

A pause to the collection for GPDPR was announced on 8 June to enable more time for NHS Digital to strengthen the plan with GPs, patients, health charities and others. In a letter to all GPs this week, Minister for Primary Care and Health Promotion, Jo Churchill set out a new process for commencing data collection, moving away from a previously fixed date of 1 September.

More information is available in the NHS Digital press notice.

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-collections/general-practice-data-for-planning-and-research

Through the NHS App

You can access your COVID-19 vaccination status through the free NHS App from 17 May. You can access the app through mobile devices such as a smartphone or tablet. Proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status will be shown within the NHS App. We recommend that you register with the app before booking international travel.

It can be downloaded from https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/nhs-app/id1388411277 for iPhone or https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nhs.online.nhsonline for android.  

By calling 119

If you do not have access to a smartphone and know that the country you are travelling to requires COVID-19 vaccination status, you can call the NHS helpline on 119 (from 17 May) and ask for a letter to be posted to you. This must be at least 5 working days after you’ve completed your course of the vaccine. We expect the letter to take up to 5 working days to reach you.

The letter will be sent automatically to the address registered with your GP. The 119 call handler you speak to will not be able to see your address to check this with you. If you’ve recently moved house, make sure you’ve given your new address to your GP practice before calling 119.

Do not contact your GP surgery about your COVID-19 vaccination status. GPs cannot provide letters showing your COVID-19 vaccination status.

For more information visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/demonstrating-your-covid-19-vaccination-status-when-travelling-abroad?fbclid=IwAR1gvFQfXHwQ6w4MOk7RnKP07YPjWRIwr8TjQ0yuc3RxcGJC-vU-CiHHf74

The national NHS booking system may send you a letter offering you to have your Covid Vaccination at one of the large vaccinations centres; Westward Ho, Greendale at Exeter.

If you have received a letter, please book an appointment through the NHS website or by calling 119.  New appointments are regularly added to the system, so please keep checking back with the site if you need to.

13/04/21

The national NHS booking system is now inviting people aged 45 and over to book their vaccination.

Click on the link below for the National NHS Covid Vaccination Booking System:

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

We ask that when possible patients please apply a face covering before entering the surgery and dispensary.

There is also guidance online on how to make a facemask at home with items you may already own, or you can simply use a scarf.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-advised-to-cover-faces-in-enclosed-spaces

We are letting you know about a very useful website called Germ Defence which was created by a team of doctors and scientists to give you advice that has been proven to reduce the spread of viruses in the home. It can help you plan how to protect yourself and members of your family from infection by COVID-19 and ‘flu.

 It’s easy to use and only takes 10 minutes – just click on this link:

www.germdefence.org/index.html?src=L83025

(If this link does not open when you click on it, please copy and paste it into your web browser.)

Please pass details of the Germ Defence website to your friends and family.

There’s a button at the bottom of the Germ Defence website for sharing by social media.

If you’d like to know more:

• Over 20,000 people previously took part in research about Germ Defence
• People who followed the advice in Germ Defence had fewer and less severe illnesses – and so did the people they lived wi
• Results of the study were published in The Lancet medical journal
• Germ Defence has been updated with COVID-19 advice to help prevent a wave of COVID-19 and ‘flu this Autumn/Winter

Information about how the Germ Defence website is being evaluated is available here