April 2021
Safety of the AstraZeneca Vaccination
Recently, there have been reports of a very rare condition involving blood clots and unusual bleeding after vaccination. Although this condition remains extremely rare there appears to be a higher risk in people shortly after the first dose of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine.
Around 4 people develop this condition for every million doses of AZ vaccine doses given. This is seen slightly more often in younger people and tends to occur between 4 days and 2 weeks following vaccination. This is being carefully reviewed but the risk factors for this condition are not yet clear.
This condition can also occur naturally, and clotting problems are a common complication of COVID-19 infection. An increased risk has not yet been seen after other COVID-19 vaccines but is being carefully monitored.
Following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), we will be offering people under 30 who have not yet had their first COVID-19 vaccination, a choice of vaccine other than AZ. If you choose to have an alternative vaccine you may have to wait to be protected. You may wish to go ahead with the AZ vaccination after you have considered all the risks and benefits for you.
This leaflet from Public Health England provides more information about the benefits and risks of the AZ COVID-19 vaccination.
If you have already had a first dose of AZ vaccine without suffering a blood clot as a side effect, you should have your second dose. This includes people aged 18 to 29 years who are health and social care workers and unpaid carers.
The benefits of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine outweigh any risks for the vast majority of people and you should still book your COVID-19 vaccine when asked to do so.
Germ Defence
The Germ Defence website gives scientifically proven, practical advice on how our patients can reduce the spread of coronavirus in the home.
Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, has endorsed this project as a national Urgent Public Health Research (UPHR) priority and it is supported by the Royal College of General Practice (RCGP).
www.germdefence.org/index.html?src=L81130
(If this link does not open when you click on it, please copy and paste it into your web browser.)
The COVID-19 version of Germ Defence was developed by clinicians and scientists at the Universities of Bristol, Southampton and Bath in collaboration with Public Health England. A clinical trial of 20,000 people during the swine ‘flu pandemic showed than an earlier version of Germ Defence successfully reduced respiratory infection frequency and severity as well as the number of GP consultation. The results were published in The Lancet.
If you have any questions about the project, please visit our website and read the ‘frequently asked questions (FAQs). If you have already sent out the weblink to your patients, thank you very much – we appreciate your support.
Many thanks
Professor Lucy Yardley, Dr Jeremy Horwood, Professor John Macleod
November 2020
“Many of you will have heard the news that GP Practices are preparing to deliver the Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available.
Cadbury Heath Healthcare will be working with our Primary Care Network partner surgeries to deliver the vaccine to our patients as soon as possible. So that we can continue to provide care for patients we are looking at venues away from our practices where we can set up a vaccination centre within our local area.
We will be working on this programme very intensively over the coming weeks and will provide information via our website and via texts to patients as soon as we have it. The current guidance is that the government will write to patients to inform them of when they will become eligible for their vaccination as it will be released in phases. So please don’t contact the surgery prior to this to arrange an appointment.
As a result of the levels of planning required to support this and during the delivery of the vaccines some of our services may be affected by capacity so please bear with us during this time. We are doing our very best to continue to help our patients and your support is very much appreciated.
Thank you”
September 2020
Covid-19 has changed how patients access their GP. The pandemic has super charged the use of remote consultations in primary care. These will never replace face-to-face appointments which are be available to all patients where appropriate. However, there are other convenient ways for people to access medical advice and treatment, Cadbury Heath Healthcare offer telephone calls, video consultations and econsult. Please be assured face to face appointments are available for all that need them, these will be decided by a clinician and a time slot offered. Please wear a face covering when attending the practice.
Please do not book a GP appointment or attend your GP Practice if you have symptoms associated with coronavirus including a new continuous cough and a high temperature and loss of taste and smell. You are advised to stay at home for 14 days.
- If your symptoms are serious, or get worse, NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need further medical help and advise you what to do.
- Only call 111 direct if you cannot go online, or are advised to do so by the online service.
- For the latest Covid-19 advice please visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.
- Early recognition – any new (or onset within the last 7 days) continuous cough or fever is possible Coronavirus.
- Don’t panic – most people will be able to self-manage without contacting their GP or 111.
Everyone needs to follow simple steps to reduce their symptoms and avoid infecting others.
DO NOT go to the GP practice or A&E. - Get educated – NHS 111 online (https://111.nhs.uk/service/COVID-19/) will help you assess
your symptoms. It is updated daily so has the most up to date advice as things keep
changing. If you are short of breath (i.e. not able to walk upstairs or are having difficulty
speaking in sentences) then phone your GP practice or 111. Only phone 999 if you feel it is
an emergency. - Self-isolate – stop the virus spreading by self-isolating for 7 days from the onset of symptoms
and follow information on NHS 111 online on how to do this. Effective self-isolation will stop
your friends and family getting infected (see picture below). - Rest, paracetamol and fluids are crucial especially with fever – aim for a minimum of 10x
300ml mugs of fluid a day. Avoid alcohol. Water, diluting juice or fruit juice are ideal. Aim for
regular clear or mildly yellow urine and to be able to pee every 4 hours except when asleep
at night. If you have not passed urine in over 4 hours, have dark yellow urine, feel thirsty or
dizzy on standing then there is a high chance you are dehydrated and you need to drink lots
more as a priority. - Food is less important than fluids – if able to eat then have lots of fruit and vegetables as
these will help your immune system fight the infection. - Stop certain medications – some drugs are unsafe when you are unwell, especially ones to
lower your blood pressure, and anti-inflammatories. Look at the ‘Sick Day Rules’ card for
more information (below). Restart these medications 48 hours after you are eating and
drinking normally. - Get support – call family/friends/community members and ask them to deliver supplies.
People in the same house as you do not need to self-isolate if they have no symptoms. - For children follow advice from the excellent When Should I Worry Website:
http://www.whenshouldiworry.com/resources/When%20should%20I%20worry-
Booklet_England-with%20111%20service_2016.pdf - You can return to work after 7 days if you’re improving but do not need to be symptom free.
Contact the GP practice if you are not improving after 7 days.
Please do not book an appointment or go to the GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital if you:
- You think you might have coronavirus
- In the last 14 days you have been to a country or area with a high risk of coronavirus
- You have been in close contact with someone with Coronavirus
NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell if you need help and advise you what to do. This can be accessed from http://www.nhs.uk. Call 111 if you need to speak to someone.
CADBURY HEATH HEALTHCARE REQUESTS THAT IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, TO TELEPHONE THE PRACTICE OR 111 INFORMING US OF YOUR SYMPTOMS AND YOUR TRAVEL DETAILS. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU STAY INDOORS AND TO AVOID CONTACT WITH OTHERS UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN ASSESSED BY A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
COVID 19 Privacy Notice
COVID 19 Face Coverings (June 2020)
Your GP surgery remains open and we continue to provide care for people who need it. However, we are having to work differently due to Coronavirus. We are currently offering additional support to our local hospitals and care homes so that our NHS can provide life-saving care to those who need it most during this difficult time. This means that as a surgery, we need to prioritise our most urgent patients and depending on your problem, we may have to ask you to wait.
As our patients, you can help us. Here’s how:
· Please check our website and NHS choices which both have lots of information about how to help yourself if you have a minor illness. Our website also has details of local helplines and groups you can contact for wellbeing issues.
· You can also use the expertise of your local pharmacist – information about how your pharmacy can help.
· Please stay on top of your medications and don’t let them run out.
· Be kind to our navigators and reception teams – they often have limited appointments to offer.
· Please do get in touch with us if you have potentially serious problems, such as potential signs of cancer.
· Self-isolate for 10 days if you have COVID symptoms – call 111 if you start to feel worse.
· We will continue to offer COVID vaccinations to our patients. Please wait to be contacted rather than contacting us – we’ll be in touch when it’s your turn.
