COVID INFORMATION

Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Macmillan Cancer Support

How to access your COVID-19 vaccination status

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.

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 7 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.

SCAM ALERT!

If you receive a call from the NHS, they will never ask you for credit card or bank details.

Please be cautious and never provide these details over the phone.

We have recently been made aware of an increase in scam callers pretending to be from the NHS Coronavirus Vaccination Service. These scammers are attempting to obtain personal information and financial details from patients.

If you receive a call from someone who claims to be from the NHS Vaccination Service, your GP Practice or the Government, and are asking for:

• personal information
• financial details such as bank account information or credit card details

do not provide the information.

Legitimate callers will never ask for this information over the phone.

Please be aware when answering automated calls where you are asked to select an option – this can leave you at risk of connecting to a high-cost premium number, leaving you liable for a significant call cost.

Furthermore, there has been an increase in scam texts, where victims are asked to click a link that sends them to a fake NHS website where they are asked for personal details.

Phishing emails can also be very convincing at first glance, but by checking the sender, you can see where they have come from. Do not click any links in these emails, which take you to a website that encourages you to enter personal details.

For more information, please visit: Coronavirus scam calls and texts – Ofcom

Always use caution and if you are unsure, call the service back on their published contact numbers to confirm… and remember, the NHS will NEVER ask for financial information.

Individuals aged 12 & over with severe immunosuppression are now eligible for 3rd dose.

Patients aged 12 and over with severe immunosuppression are now recommended to receive a third primary dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In light of the latest advise from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The advise recommends that a third dose is given for individuals aged 12 and over with immunosuppression. This is being advised as a precautionary measure to increase you immunity level and provide a better vaccine response, based on studies and experience with other vaccines. It is part of your primary course of vaccination and is separate to a booster vaccination, which you will likely become eligible for in six months time, pending further notice.
The recommendation is at least 8 weeks after your second dose. Your third dose may be at the Hospital where you receive treatment, your local Primary Care Network or at another site they direct you to.
For more information about the coronavirus vaccine please visit www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination. If you wish to book an appointment please call the Surgery. 

Long COVID Patient Booklet

NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme update

Our GP-led local vaccination service is providing vaccinations to people in cohorts 1-9 and this will continue.

We will not be providing a vaccination service for people aged 18 to 49 when they become eligible. If you are in this cohort, you will be able to get your vaccination at other local vaccination services including hospital hubs, community pharmacies and larger vaccination centres.

What this means for you?

Cohorts 1-9

Includes those aged 50 and over, health and care workers, unpaid carers and those with a health condition that puts them at greater risk.

We are continuing to book in people in cohorts 1-9 who have not yet been vaccinated for their first dose and we will carry on doing this to make sure that no-one is left behind.

If you are eligible and haven’t had your first dose yet, please contact the practice now to make your appointment.

We will be able to give the second dose to everyone who has had their first dose of the vaccine with us. We will invite you for your second dose when this is due.

Cohorts 10-12

People aged 18 to 49

Vaccinations have been delivered according to priority groups identified by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

If you are aged 18 to 49, you will be contacted by the NHS when it is your turn and you will be able to choose from a range of local vaccination services

When your age group becomes eligible, you will be able to book your vaccine and choose a local service through the national booking service at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or by phoning 119.

Please do not contact us to get an appointment. Information on the vaccine is available on the NHS.UK website.

Immunosuppressant – COVID

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Supporting your recovery after COVID

Post-viral fatigue – Practical advice for people who have recovered at home

https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/

Get a free NHS test today to check if you have coronavirus

You can have a test (swab test) to check if you have coronavirus (COVID-19) now. You can choose to take the test:

• at a test site near you today and get your result tomorrow
• with a home test kit

Click on the link to find out where you can get tested https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/get-a-test-to-check-if-you-have-coronavirus/

Antibody Testing

There is another test, the antibody test to check if you’ve had coronavirus. This is not widely available yet.

Click on the link to find out further information:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/antibody-test-to-check-if-youve-had-coronavirus/

Increased support announced for patients with COVID-19 symptoms and members of their household

GP surgeries in Halton and Warrington are working with NHS 111 and local hospitals to provide more advice and treatment to patients with COVID-19 symptoms and members of their household who are self-isolating. The support, which includes telephone, video and face-to-face assessments, will be provided to help these patients with a range of health issues and concerns.

Advice for patients with COVID-19 symptoms
If you have COVID-19 symptoms and you need advice or treatment with any health issue, you should contact NHS 111 in the first instance, unless it is a life-threatening emergency, then you should dial 999.

• If you have possible COVID-19 and you are struggling to cope with your symptoms, you should use the NHS 111 online Coronavirus service – https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19.
  • If you have COVID-19 symptoms but have another health concern, please contact NHS 111 online at https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 or via phone.

NHS 111 may then refer you to your GP Practice for further assessment via phone or video call. If clinically appropriate, a face-to-face appointment will be booked by the practice at one of the dedicated face-to-face assessment sites which have been set up in Halton and Warrington. As a result, you may need to go to a different surgery than normal for an assessment with a GP. The sites will not offer testing for COVID-19 and are not public testing sites.

To ensure the safety of patients and staff, only patients who have the complaint and a booked appointment at the assessment sites will be allowed access. Patients will only be allowed to enter one at a time, they will be asked to wait in a car if possible and only enter when they are contacted by mobile phone.

Advice for patients living in a household with someone who has COVID-19 symptoms
If you have a health concern but are self-isolating because you live in a household with someone who has COVID-19 symptoms, you can contact the surgery directly via phone or by contacting the practice via an online form on the practice website (eConsult).

IMPORTANT: Please make the surgery aware that you are living in a household with someone who has COVID-19 symptoms.
A clinical member of staff will call you back to provide an assessment over the phone and they will arrange a video or face-to face appointment for you if required. Face-to-face appointments for patients who live in a household with someone who has COVID-19 symptoms will take place at one of the dedicated face-to-face assessment sites.

Advice for patients who live in households that DO NOT have COVID-19 symptoms
To reduce any potential risk of infection, patients who live in households without any COVID-19 symptoms will be seen separately from patients with COVID-19 symptoms and members of their household. As a result of the new arrangements, you may be asked to attend a different surgery than usual. If you need to attend a different surgery, we will advise you at the time of booking your appointment.

Please be reminded… do not to come into the surgery without a pre-booked appointment. If you need help with a health concern, please contact us via phone or by completing an online form on our website (eConsult). A clinical member of staff will call you back to provide an assessment over the phone and they will arrange a video or face-to face appointment for you if required.

Where can I find out more information?
Read some frequently asked questions for patients here:
https://www.warringtonccg.nhs.uk/Images/Page%20Images/your-health/face-to-face-assessment-sites-faqs.htm

National Clinical Trail – COVID 19

Padgate Medical Centre is taking part in the national PRINCIPLE clinical trial, which aims to find low-risk treatments for older people with COVID-19 that can be taken at home.

To be eligible to join the trial you will need to have experienced symptoms that are likely to be caused by COVID-19 for fewer than 15 days.

The trial is open to people aged 65 or over, or aged 50–64 with an underlying health condition.

If you are registered at Padgate Medical Centre and would like more information, please contact us on 01925 815333. You can also join the trial online, even if you are not currently registered with our practice. For full details, visit http://www.principletrial.org

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Advice for Key Worker Parents

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Information for Parents

Guide for parents on which NHS service to use (1)