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Influenza Vaccination 2020/21 SHORTCUT ivy.gs/flu

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CHECK FLU ELIGIBILITY

FLU CLINICS AND SESSIONS

HOW TO BOOK YOUR FLU JAB

FLU CLINIC PROCEDURE

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SURGERY

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COVID VACCINATION INFORMATION

FLU UPDATE #1: FLU JABS FOR 50-64 YEAR OLDS SHOW

We have limited stocks of flu jabs for this cohort.

If you receive an invite, please book for an appointment.

Download an information leaflet

FLU UPDATE #2: RECEIVED A FLU LETTER FROM NHS ENGLAND? SHOW

It's become clear patients are receiving letters from NHS England reminding them to have a flu jab, along with a second extra piece of paper in the envelope asking patients to help the NHS cut down on the use of paper..! [seriously, you can't make this up].

We haven't asked for these letters to be sent out and don't know why they have been sent. The letters have caused a great deal of confusion and extra work for everyone as we deal with the numerous phone calls coming in.

It's also been apparent that letters have been sent out to patients who are NOT eligible and also to those who have already had the jab.

Please be assured that the practice carries out its own recall for eligible patients requiring flu jabs and we have been sending out our own invites and reminders by letter, text and/or phone calls.

If you have previously had an invite or reminder from us, but have not had a flu jab, please ring us to book for a flu jab straight away, before we run out of stocks.

Everyone else, please ignore. Please do not contact us. We have things in hand.

FLU UPDATE #3: RECEIVED A LETTER ABOUT LIVER, BRAIN, IMMUNITY? SHOW

You may receive a letter informing you of the need to attend for a flu jab if you have liver disease, a neurological (brain/nerves) disease or have a suppressed immune system.

These letters, which are being sent to patients who are already eligible for a flu jab, are part of a government/public health initiative. The letters are designed to reinforce the need to have a flu jab in these groups of patients.

IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED A LETTER, PLEASE TRY NOT TO WORRY!

If you have already booked for a flu jab, please still attend. The letter doesn't change anything and you can safely ignore it. Please do not contact us.

If you have not booked for a flu jab, please consider booking for one before we run out of stocks.

If you dispute your diagnosis and are not sure why you have received a letter, then do contact us, but please bear in mind, you will already have had invite for a flu jab based on what was already in your medical record, so this letter has not been sent to you on the basis of any new information.

We hope this clarifies the situation and apologise for any confusion.

Flu clinics and sessions

Flu clinic dates have been confifmed. Please save the dates:

  • Saturday September 26, 2020 - flu clinic no. 1
  • Saturday October 10, 2020 - flu clinic no. 2
  • Monday October 5 to Friday October 9, 2020 - flu awareness week for jabs in nurse sessions
  • September 7th, 2020 onwards - ad hoc sessions for flu jabs subject to availability of flu vaccine stock
  • Thursday December 10th, 2020 - for catch-up and 50-64 year olds mainly
  • Friday December 11th, 2020 - for catch-up and 50-64 year olds mainly
  • Tuesday December 15th, 2020 - for catch-up and 50-64 year olds mainly
  • Tuesday December 22nd, 2020 - for catch-up and 50-64 year olds mainly NEARLY FULLY BOOKED

We are currently in the process of chasing up those eligible patients who have still not received a flu jab - look out for your invite if you are one of these.

We have now received stock of all flu vaccinations (under 65s jabs, over 65s jabsand nasal flu vaccination for children). Please book your appointment now.

Please support your local surgery

  • We know that other providers like pharmacies and supermarkets offer flu jabs to our patients
  • Like all other practices, we rely on funding from each flu jab we give to help cover running costs and to keep the practice viable and maintain services
  • Every single flu jab you have elsewhere means loss of funding for your GP surgery, which puts them even more at risk
  • You might be told by other providers that they are giving flu jabs to you to help ease your GP's workload - this is definitely not the case!. We are more than capable of administering thousands of flu jabs each year as we have been doing for decades
  • Therefore please support your local surgery by having your flu jab with us
  • By choosing us, you will be vaccinated in a properly equipped consulting room or treatment room by a qualified member of our Nursing or GP Team; who will have access to your medical records and are properly equipped for emergencies
  • By having your flu jab with us, you are ensuring that crucial resources stay with your GP surgery

How to book your flu jab SHOW

Unlike previous years where eligible patients simply turned up to one of our flu clinics, this year, due to coronavirus, we need to maintain social distancing and carefully monitor flu stocks, therefore all eligible patients receiving an invite must now book an appointment for a flu jab - please choose one of the two options below. We are extremely busy booking appointments, so please bear with us - see the red box below.

We encourage all patients to review the procedure for attending flu clinic below.

Request a flu jab appointment online PREFERRED METHOD

Please complete our online flu jab appointment request form at the bottom of this page or type the shortcut ivy.gs/bookjab to reach this section of the page directly. We will review your response and text or email you back with an allocated appointment slot.

We may have to limit the maximum number of form submissions each day. If you find the form is closed, please try again later as the form will re-open for submissions on a daily basis.

Ring for an appointment PHONES ARE VERY BUSY

Please ring us on 01773 514130, option 1.

PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND SURGERY TO BOOK

There is high demand for booking flu appointments this year. Therefore there might be a delay in answering or responding to your call. Please bear with us during this time - we will aim to get round to everybody in due course.

If you have any difficulties, please do not attend surgery in person to book.

We do realise making sure you get your flu vaccination is very important for everyone, however, we must maintain the safety of our staff and other patients, as well as prioritise other ongoing clinical work besides booking flu jab appointments.

Flu clinic procedure SHOW

Coronavirus COVID-19 has meant that we must carry out flu clinic a little differently this year. Please familiarise yourself with the procedure below:

  • All eligible patients will receive an invite by letter or text - if you have a mobile number logged on our system, you will receive a text rather than a letter
  • Once you receive your invite, you will need to ring us to book an appointment for a flu jab, so that we can give you a time to come to clinic - please ring 01773 514130 option 5, 2-4pm weekdays, to book
  • If you are unwell, have a fever, have coronavirus symptoms or been told to self-isolate, you must not attend under any circumstance - please rebook when you are well or out of self-isolation
  • Please attend alone where this is possible
  • Please arrive at your booked appointment time - do not come too early or at a random time as we do not want any overcrowding
  • You will need to wear a face covering which covers your nose and mouth
  • You will need to queue with strict social distancing using a one-way route through the building and follow floor markings - just like at the supermarket
  • Seating will generally not be available in order to reduce infection control risk - if you think you will struggle with this, please highlight to our reception staff when booking your appointment
  • In inclement weather, whilst queuing outside the building, you are advised to wear suitable clothing and/or have an umbrella if raining
  • Once into the waiting room, you will need to sanitise your hands and have your temperature checked
  • You will need to maintain social distancing throughout as you get your coat/top layers off and arm exposed whilst in the waiting room
  • You will be directed into available consultation rooms in an orderly fashion, in batches
  • Once vaccinated, you will leave consultation rooms and exit via the fire exit to the car park in an orderly fashion
  • Please heed the instruction of our staff who are supervising the flow of patients - they are there to ensure everyone's safety

Eligibile groups

Download an information booklet .

You can have the flu jab if you are in these groups (example conditions are shown under each category):

Long term lung conditions

  • Asthmatics who take regular inhaled or oral steroids or who have had hospital admissions for asthma
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Bronchiectasis
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Lung fibrosis
  • Pneumoconiosis (Dust)
  •  

Long term heart or circulation conditions

  • Congenital heart disease
  • Heart failure
  • Heart attack, angina and other ischaemic heart disease
  • Peripheral vascular (circulation) disease
  • Rheumatic heart disease
  • Cardiomyopathy
  •  

Long term neurological (brain/nerve) conditions

  • Stroke
  • TIA ('mini-stroke')
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Muscular dystrophy
  • Dementia
  • Spinal disease or paralysis affecting lung function
  • Myaesthenia
  • Learning disability - download an information leaflet
  •  

Long term kidney conditions

  • Kidney failure
  • Kidney impairment
  • Kidney transplant
  •  

Long term liver conditions

  • Hepatitis
  • Cirrhosis
  • Liver transplant
  •  

Endocrine (hormonal) conditions

  • Diabetic patients on diet only, oral drugs or injections
  • Pituitary gland disorders
  • Addison's disease (lack of natural body steroids)
  •  

Reduced immunity due to medical conditions or drugs

  • No spleen (e.g. due to injury or illness)
  • On long term steroids
  • On cytotoxic or immunity suppressing drugs e.g., rheumatoid arthritis injections, active or recent cancer treatment
  • HIV infection or AIDS
  • Coeliac disease (wheat intolerance)
  • Systemic lupus
  • Certain blood disorders and blood cancers
  • NEW Patient on NHS Shielded List
  •  

Pregnant women

  • All currently pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy
  •  

Age or circumstance

  • NEW Anybody aged 50-64 years - download an information leaflet
  • Anybody aged 65 years and over including those becoming 65 by March 31st 2021 (date of birth on or before March 31st, 1956)
  • Long stay residential care homes patients
  • Carers who are in receipt of a carer's allowance, main carers, or those carers who regularly look after a person whose welfare would be at risk if they (the carer) become ill
  • NEW Health and social care staff employed by a registered residential care/nursing home or registered domiciliary care provider
  • NEW Health and care staff employed by a voluntary managed hospice provider
  • NEW Health and social care workers employed through Direct Payments and/or Personal Health Budgets (such as personal assistant) to deliver domiciliary care to patients and service users
  • Morbidly obese patients (BMI of 40 or above)
  • NEW Those who live in the same accommodation as patients on the NHS Shielded List
  • Consideration will be given to vaccinating those who are in the same household as someone with a severely suppressed immune system - cases will be considered individually and vaccination is not guaranteed
  • Children aged 2 to 3 years (date of birth between September 1st 2016 and August 31st 2018 inclusive) - download an information leaflet
  •  

INFORMATION ABOUT ELIGIBILITY

Department of Health guidance forms the main basis for the eligibility criteria shown above. Criteria are subject to change according to latest medical guidance and eligibility for flu jabs is at the discretion of the doctor based on his or her clinical judgement

Not eligible for a surgery flu jab

The following groups cannot have a flu jab at the surgery, but may be eligible elsewhere, such as from employer or school

Frontline health and social care workers to be vaccinated by their employer

  • NEW All frontline health and social care workers employed by other organisations not listed above should receive a vaccination from their employer, in order to meet their responsibility to protect their staff and patients and ensure the overall safe running of services
  •  

Previous conditions with full recovery or which are now stable

  • Patients who have previously had chest infections with no residual long term problems are not at any more risk of respiratory complications from developing flu than that of the general population
  • Patients who have previously had treatment for cancer and are now either recovered or stable with no active ongoing radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment
  •  

Babies under 6 months of age

  • Flu jabs are not recommended in children in this age group even in the presence of at-risk conditions
  •  

Children to be vaccinated at school

  • All primary school children and year 7 of secondary school (date of birth between September 1st 2008 and August 31st 2016 inclusive) will be invited separately and vaccinated at school - download an information leaflet (NB: children with at-risk conditions can be vaccinated at the surgery if wished)
  •  

Non-eligible patients wishing the flu jab privately

  • Unfortunately, though we would be happy to do so, unfair and restrictive clauses in our contract mean that, unlike pharmacies and supermarkets, we are not permitted to offer flu jabs to any of our non-eligible patients privately - if you wish to challenge this, please contact your MP
  •  

Online form to request a flu jab

Please use this form to make an online flu jab appointment request. We will review your response and text or email you back with an allocated appointment slot.

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