UPDATE – Pre-booked appointments for the Covid Vaccine Clinics will be on the following dates at STOKE GIFFORD MEDICAL CENTRE: TBC
Covid Passports. Please note, we are unable to offer you certification, a vaccination passport or a letter to prove that you have been vaccinated against Covid 19. These documents have not yet been developed and as such cannot be provided by your GP. As soon as we have further information on when, how and if and how these will be available we will share it with you. In the meantime please do not contact us to request evidence as we do not have the capacity to support these requests.
Safety of AZ following reports of its use being suspended in some countries (from local Area Clinical Commissioning Team) – We are aware that some countries have temporarily suspended use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and that in the UK, there has been a decision not to use AZ for the under 30s. As far as we know, the benefits of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine outweigh any risks and people should still go and get their COVID-19 vaccine when asked to do so. All vaccines that are available have been approved because they pass the MHRA’s tests on safety and efficacy, so people should be assured that whatever vaccine they are given will be highly effective and protect them from coronavirus. Due to the nature of vaccine supply combined with the evidence that all the available vaccines are safe and effective, it is not possible for individuals to choose which vaccine brand they receive. We will update this message as we get more information.
Please be aware that, due to Covid 19, we will have staff off sick or isolating. Additionally, our consultations will take longer as we rely on telephones / video or need to change PPE and clean rooms between patients. As a result our capacity is limited. Our GPs are working extremely hard to provide as normal a service as possible but, at times, we may need to prioritise those that are acutely unwell and delay seeing those with chronic / long term conditions and non-urgent cases and it may take longer to get back to you following receipt of your enquiry. We appreciate your support as we work through these challenges. To reduce transmission risk, access to the surgeries is restricted to those with pre-arranged appointments. The front desks will be closed so please use Ask My GP or phone the practice to speak to Reception.
We have found that a lot of AskmyGP requests, that are entered out of hours, resolve themselves before a GP contacts the patient. This wastes a lot of GP time. To address this, we are closing AskmyGP to new requests from 4.30PM each working day and until 7PM on a Sunday. New requests can be logged from 5.30AM until 4.30PM on a weekday and from 7PM on a Sunday. If you require medical attention from a GP over the weekend, please call 111 (or 999 for emergencies. Details of other helplines can be found on our website). If you have an urgent medical need after 4.30PM on a weekday, please call the surgery.
Please note, we are very busy on a Monday and may need to reply later in the week where your request is non-urgent. Please: only use this service to consult with a GP or to leave an administrative query; be available to take a call / attend on the day that you use AskmyGP, and regularly check your emails for any responses. Nurse / HCA appointments need to be booked by phone. Please use the NHS app / Patient Access to request repeat medications.