Newsletter - September 2019

Published: 24 July 2019

Cancellation of Friday Walk-In Surgery

As of the 6th September 2019, we will unfortunately be unable to offer the Friday afternoon Emergency ‘walk in’ clinic from 4-6pm at Willingham Surgery.

Limited appointments will be available on Friday afternoons, but these must be made in advance by contacting reception.

If you call with an emergency on Friday afternoon, the receptionists will ask for a brief description of your problem, and arrange for a clinician to decide whether you need attend the surgery for treatment before the weekend. Please note, you should not contact 111 until after 6pm when the surgery is closed.

Flu Vaccinations
We expect to start receiving our vaccines at the beginning of September, with further deliveries in October and November. There will be 3 different flu vaccinations available this year.

All patients aged 65 and over will be offered the FLUAD. This has been recommended by the government as being the most effective vaccine for this age group.
Patients between 18 and 64 years AND in an “at risk” category will be offered the quadrivalent vaccine which should offer more protection than the ones given in previous years.
Children over the age of 2 will again be offered the nasal flu. School age children in reception and years 1-5 will be having the vaccine at school.
The surgery will give the nasal flu to those children born between 01/09/2015 and 31/08/2017.

Saturday Flu Clinics
In order to provide vaccines as early as possible, we will be offering a limited number of Saturday morning flu clinics this year. The first dates are as follows:

Saturday 14th September 10am-12pm -

Flu Vaccines for Over 65
We are expecting the vaccines for those aged Under 65 to be delivered from the beginning of October, and will announce the Saturday morning clinics for this in due course. Further flu clinics are scheduled throughout the week so please contact reception for details and make your appointment.

Pharmacy 2U
You may have received a leaflet in the post inviting you to get your repeat prescriptions from a company called Pharmacy2U. Pharmacy2U is a distance selling company (internet only), that has nothing to do with the surgery, and it is not funded or operated by the NHS. Patients should be aware that in choosing to use an online Pharmacy like this, you cannot have any face-to face contact, they are only allowed to deal with patients by post, telephone or internet. Prescriptions are delivered via Royal Mail at your own risk. We believe that an internet business like Pharmacy2U is no substitute for your local dispensary.

Kids back to school and the bugs that come with it?
There are so many basic medical problems that you can treat at home without a trip to your GP practice. Coughs, colds, upset stomachs, head lice, chickenpox and ear infections can all be treated with medicine from your pharmacies. Alternatively practice nurses, can help with lots of minor conditions which mean you don’t need to see a GP. Remember that children can get between eight to 10 colds a year, and a cough can last at least three weeks before it starts to improve.

Carers Support Meetings
Meetings held on the first Wednesday of every month. If you are a carer, please pop along and get some support from other people in the local community. Refreshments provided no need to pre-book and completely FREE! Please contact Sue Lawson at the surgery or email her at susan.lawson7@nhs.net for more information.

Cambridgeshire Hearing Clinics
The next Hearing Aid Clinics at Willingham Surgery are on 18th September, 16th October & 20th November from 2:00pm-4:00pm. No appointment necessary, just pop along for your free NHS hearing aid batteries and for help and advice regarding hearing loss.

A&E is not an alternative to a GP appointment. If we are closed, please call 111.