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You may have heard the news about this year’s flu vaccine campaign. This year will be a tough year for practices delivering flu vaccines.

Why?

🔸We are still geared up for another Covid-19 rise.
🔹We will be doing vaccinations in PPE meaning changes between patients and cleans of the environment between patients.
🔸All that PPE has to be ordered, stored, shared out, restocked, disposed of.
🔹We need to maintain social distancing between patients, so no more crowded waiting rooms with a catch up from others in your community.
🔸Social distancing means we have to make innovative use of our building, with one way in, one way out.
🔹We already ordered in December 2019 the two types of vaccines required for our usual cohorts of patients within risk groups, therefore want to deliver your vaccine otherwise it may be wasted. The additional group of people means lots more vaccines needed: practices order the vaccine a year ahead, so we now need to rely on NHSE / Public Health England to supply additional stock as we have been informed they aren’t available by our suppliers.
🔸Everything takes longer: PPE, cleaning, social distancing. So a clinic for 100 people which used to be done in a couple of hours could now take 6 hours.
🔹The staff that deliver the vaccines, and the administrators who support them in the clinics are already working flat out during the week, and now face the prospect of working additional shifts to get these vaccinations done in a timely manner.
🔸It’s unlikely we will be able to run open clinics this year where patients can just turn up, so we need to set up some kind of appointment system.
🔹The number of Housebound patients has increased with some patients still needing to shield, and home visits for them take much longer and are much more risky for the staff.
🔸Many practices, including us, are running on reduced work force as they have shielding staff, or staff who cannot see patients face to face due to their own risks.

Thank you for reading this far. You may ask what is the point of this post? The main point is we found out this information the same time as you did, and although we have lots of ideas, there is still lots we need to work out, so please don’t ask to book in for a flu jab yet!

We WILL let you know by text, Facebook, website or other what the plan is. We don’t receive them until September anyway. It WILL be very different this year.
We WILL do our best as we always do. As a business we need your support more than ever, and are extremely grateful for it.

Thank you.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/most-comprehensive-flu-programme-in-uk-history-will-be-rolled-out-this-winter

The wearing of masks by staff and face coverings by the public will play a role in preventing the spread of infection so that patients and visitors can attend practices without fear of contamination. It will also reduce the risk of a whole team within a practice being required to self-isolate should one member contract COVID-19. 

It is now mandatory to wear facial coverings on public transport and it will be mandatory to wear a facial covering in shops/supermarkets from Friday 24^th July 2020

To find out;

• when you can take your mask off
• to learn about different types of masks
• how to be safe wearing a mask
• if you’re exempt from wearing a mask

Please click here

Supplying face mask exemption letters to patients

Our Practice (like many others) is seeing an increase in requests from patients for letters of exemption to wear face masks in various public settings. The Government guidance suggests there is no requirement for evidence for exemption. It should be sufficient for someone to declare that they are eligible for an exemption direct with the person questioning them (e.g. bus driver).

The BMA has indicated that practices are therefore not required to provide letters of support for those who fall under the list of exemptions, or to those who do not fall under the list of exemptions.

Some transport providers are providing evidence of exemptions themselves.

Being Exempt from Wearing a Face Mask

We understand that some people can’t wear a face mask or covering because of a disability or severe distress.

The link below provides Learning Disability Exemption Cards, Autism Exemption Cards and Parent and Child Exemption Cards. Download the PDF below to print your exemption card

Click here for printable Face-Covering-Exemption-Cards

I would like to announce that, after 32 years, I am retiring as a Partner at Swallownest General Practice in July this year.

I first came to work here as a trainee GP in 1985 for one year and, after 2 years further training in hospital, I joined as a full Partner in February 1988.

Throughout my time here I have considered it both a privilege and a pleasure to work in this community. I have seen many changes both in society and in medicine during my career, but the fundamental nature of General Practice has not changed – it is simply the process of two people (doctor and patient) trying to find the solution to a problem together. Sadly we are currently all facing the same huge problem of how to keep ourselves and our families safe during this dreadful pandemic.

I hope that you all find a way of coping and keeping yourselves healthy until things return to something like normal.

Best wishes to you all.

Dr Rob Evans

Dr Evans retired Thursday 9^th July 2020