COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 15-01-21
NHS England letters - Some patients may have received letters from NHS England with links or contact details to book into larger vaccination sites or pharmacies. If patients wish to do this then follow the instructions on the letter. The surgery has no information about or any access to any other venues apart from the Town Hall where our team is vaccinating.
COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 14-01-21
Housebound Patients - The Maidenhead Team currently running the service at the Town Hall, will be vaccinating housebound patients on Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th January. This is being organised geographically for maximum efficiency and so it may not be a member of your own surgery who attends. The vaccinator will have been provided with health information by your own surgery beforehand so would be aware of any medical issues.
Group 2 Round 4 - Texts were sent this morning and those without mobile phone numbers will be contacted shortly for first dose appointments for Thursday 21st to Saturday 23rd January. This is the final round of Group 2.
COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 11-01-21
Housebound Patients - Due to issues around storage and transport of open vaccine we are not currently able to come out to housebound patients but plans for reaching this group of patients are being worked on and we will contact patients when we know more.
Health and Social Care workers who are classed as Priority Group 2 are being vaccinated at the Hospital and/or Mass Vaccination Centres and access to these appointments is via the Employer. We will try to find more information about this process and the process for private sector or self employed practitioners and put an update here.
COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 09-01-21
Group 2 Round 3 - Texts were sent this morning and those without mobile phone numbers will be contacted next week for first dose appointments for Tuesday 12th to Thurs 14th January.
2nd dose appointments originally for those dates are cancelled but will be rescheduled and should take place within 12 weeks of the 1st dose. We will contact you at a later date.
We do not yet have dates for Group 2 Round 4
COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 08-01-21
We have begun inviting more people in Priority Group 2 for Covid-19 Vaccinations for Tuesday 12th to Thurs 14th January
All 2nd dose appointments originally booked for that week have been cancelled. The Clinical Support Team is trying to contact all those affected. Cancellation texts have gone out where possible.
PLEASE RESPOND QUICKLY WHEN INVITED - if not we will offer the place to someone else and re - invite you later.
COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 07-01-21
WARNING - scam texts are being sent re Covid Vaccines and giving links to sites asking for a lot of personal data and bank or credit card details. DO NOT GIVE ANY FINANCIAL DETAILS. Our links just want Date of Birth before taking you to the booking page.
We will contact more people today for the latest round of vaccination. Then we will stop until we get a new delivery date.
COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 06-01-21
Following updated NHS guidance to prioritise first vaccinations, patients with second dose COVID-19 vaccination appointments booked for 12th, 13th or 14-Jan-2021 will not receive these until later in the year.
The Thames Valley Clinical Support Unit Team (CSU) will be ringing to cancel these appointments formally over the next few days.
You will be contacted to rebook your second appointment in due course. Please do not call the surgery about this as we do not have availability for second vaccinations yet. We will call you.
Your first dose still offers considerable protection against the virus.
COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 04-01-21
We await an official decision as to whether the pre-booked 2nd dose appointments for week of 12th January will go ahead or not. If we do have to cancel we will inform the patients.
We have begun inviting more people in Priority Group 2 for Covid-19 Vaccinations for Thursday 7th Jan to Sat 9th January.
Only around a quarter of this age group will be invited for these sessions. It will take a few more weeks to get everyone in Group 2 vaccinated so please wait to be contacted. One quarter were vaccinated before Christmas.
Some texts have gone out today 4th January, more will go out tomorrow. Those without mobiles will be contacted on their landlines - as will patients who do not reply to their texts.
Please note that as per NHS England updated guidance one dose will be given initially and the 2nd dose will be around 12 weeks later
The invitation will be for the first dose only
The vaccination clinic is held in the Desborough Suite in Maidenhead Town Hall
- You can park in the ‘Shanly’ parking spaces on the corner of Grove Road and York Road free of charge (not the council pay and display car park). But be aware of gravel surface. There is a sign that says Parking to let and yellow signs on the fence to say Patient parking
- Those with disabled badges can park closer to the Desborough Suite, or drop off as needed.
- The Desborough Suite is accessed from Park Street (not from the front of the Town Hall).
- Wheelchairs are available if needed – marshals will assist.
- Patients should not arrive more than 5 minutes early for their appointment.
- Patients must sit and be observed for adverse reactions for 15 minutes after getting their vaccination
It is very important that patients do not arrive too early as this might cause a problem with safety and social distancing inside and outside the hall.
COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 04-01-21
We await an official decision as to whether the pre-booked 2nd dose appointments for week of 12th January will go ahead or not. If we do have to cancel we will inform the patients.
COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 24-12-20
As stated below the PCN started giving vaccinations on the 22nd December to the 24th December in our first central clinic. The 2nd dose vaccinations for those vaccinated at that time will be 12th to 14th January 2021. Two doses are required, three weeks apart.
We have begun with NHS Priority Group 2, those 80 and over.
This is a large group and will take 3 to 4 rounds before we get all of them through.
We do not have a date for the next round yet. Please wait for us to contact you. Thank you Public Health England Leaflet Why Do I Have to Wait
COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 18-12-20
Cookham Medical Centre, as part of the Maidenhead Primary Care Network (PCN) will start giving vaccinations to our patients from 22nd December. Owing to storage requirements of the vaccine, this will be from a central Maidenhead location and not at the surgery.
You will be invited either by text with a link to a booking system or by a call from the surgery in priority order based on NHS and Government guidance. Booking is essential and by invitation only.
Please wait for us to contact you
Please note that the vaccine currently available requires a 2nd dose so you will be given 2 appointments, 3 weeks apart and must attend BOTH appointments
COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATED 07-12-20
The NHS is now ready to deliver a vaccination programme for England so that those who need it most will be able to access vaccinations as soon as they are available.
A prioritisation list has been produced in order for the vaccine to be delivered to groups who will need it first. The NHS will contact you when you are eligible to receive the vaccine and provide you with information about location and date.
We will contact you when it’s the right time to come forward, so please don’t contact the NHS to seek a vaccine before then.
Key messages for patients / the public
- The vaccine will be given in order of priority to those at highest risk first.
- We will be in contact with you with information about where and when you will need to receive the vaccine.
- Please act on your invite when it comes, and make sure you attend your appointments when you arrange them.
- Please continue to abide by all the social distancing and hand hygiene guidance, which will still save lives.
SCAM WARNING RE TEST AND TRACE
People are pretending to be from NHS Test and Trace informing you that you've been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus and advising that you need to have a test. They say that they need your card details as you have to pay for the test. This is not true. The NHS tests for coronavirus are free. If you get a genuine email, text or call from NHS Test and Trace they will never ask you to pay for a test or for your bank/card details.
If you think you may have coronavirus
If you a have new continuous cough, or a fever over 37.8C, then the advice is that you should self-isolate for 7 days. You do not need to contact NHS 111 or the GP practice. If you develop worsening symptoms, especially significant breathing problems, or you are unable to get out of bed, then contact NHS- 111.
If you live with anyone they will need to self-isolate for 14 days, even if they don’t have any symptoms.
Check NHS-111 for information about Self-isolating https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-advice/
If you think you may have coronavirus or may have been in contact with someone who has, the NHS 111 online service has created special guidance pages that tell you what to do in your particular circumstances
These can be accessed at: https://111.nhs.uk/service/covid-19
As the NHS 111 telephone service is dealing with very heavy call volumes - the online service can be used instead
Do ring 111 if your symptoms are worsening and becoming severe
GP and Nurse appointments
Cookham Medical Centre is taking actions to protect our patients, our staff and our community by introducing a new telephone triage system for GP appointments. Our aim is to significantly reduce the footfall through our surgery in order to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, in line with national guidance.
All GP appointments will initially be on the telephone. If you have an appointment booked with a GP, please do not come to the surgery – please stay at home and the doctor will call you at the allocated time. The GP will do all they can to help you over the phone and they can also offer video consultations. However, should they feel the need to see you face to face for an examination, you will be invited to the surgery at a set time.
We also offer an e-consult service - available on the Home page of the website for GP advice and for admin queries
Nursing appointments are now for essential matters only such as childhood immunisation, warfarin monitoring, some dressings and some blood tests needed for monitoring conditions.
These will be booked with gaps between patients to reduce numbers present at any time
If you have symptoms of Coronavirus do not attend the nurse appointment but seek advice from GP
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Sickness and Isolation notes
We are not able to provide letters for employers to confirm symptoms or the need to self-isolate. The NHS is facing unprecedented pressure at the moment and employers need to understand that such requests are not currently realistic. Government have been clear in their advice about this to employers.
You can print off an Isolation note from NHS-111 https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note/
The isolation note is only for patients who are sick themselves or are isolating because a member of their household has symptoms of Coronavirus.
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Shielding those at highest risk of complications of Coronavirus
Patients at the highest risk of complications if they get Covid-19 have been identified by the government and sent a letter explaining the precautions they need to take and the support that is available
Many people have questions about this and the NHS has put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions FAQs
FAQs Shielding those at highest risk of complications
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CORONAVIRUS Covid-19 Guidance
Please click the link for guidance as supplied from PHE via East Berkshire CCG
You can find the latest information and advice from Public Health England at www.gov.uk/coronavirus
If you have general concerns about coronavirus please look at the guidance on the NHS 111 online service
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
We thank you for your co-operation and understanding. As you are aware, the situation is evolving daily and we will keep you updated via our website and text messaging service.
Latest update 3rd April 2020