Welcome
Covid Vaccinations for Patients
Good news!
Following extensive trials, 2 safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19 have been approved by regulators and are now being made available to us and are supplied to us in batches each week. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said that both the Pfizer/BioNTech and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine ‘give very high protection against severe disease’ and both have good safety records. Both vaccines are being used across the county.
The NHS continues to prioritise those that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and the government has decided will benefit the most – specifically the over-80s, care home residents and all frontline health and care staff.
We are inviting people for vaccination in order of the priorities set out by the JCVI, starting with over 80s. Please do not contact us about the COVID-19 vaccination unless we have already contacted you.
When we do contact you, please attend your booked appointments with us.
Everyone at the practice is working extremely hard to make sure people receive their COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible. Please be patient with us during this time - we are working hard to vaccinate as quickly as possible using the supplies that we receive.
On days where GPs, nurses and other staff are supporting the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, some routine appointments may be rescheduled to an alternative day. Urgent GP appointments will still be available, and patients will be seen if it is deemed appropriate.
More COVID-19 vaccination clinics are being made available all the time – everyone who is eligible according to national guidance will receive the vaccine in due course.
Hands, Face, Space remains key – even once people have been vaccinated.
You can get more information about the COVID-19 Vaccination online via the NHS website.
Our Practice has access to more Covid-19 vaccine stock arriving next week of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccinations which is first being offered to patient who meet the following criteria.
- You must be a patient of our Practice
- Aged 81 or over
- Are not currently suffering from symptoms of Covid-19
- Have not already been advised to self-isolate on the clinic dates due to possible exposure to Covid-19
- Are able to travel to Bodmin Treatment Centre, Boundary Road, Bodmin, PL31 2QT (on the Bodmin Hospital site) to receive your vaccination (NB: limited toilet facility)
- Are able to walk a short distance from a car park into the building or get dropped by someone who can wait to collect you after your vaccination which will usually take between 20-30 minutes (housebound patients will be contacted separately in due course)
If you meet all of the above, then we will be able to book you an appointment one of two ways:
- Where we have a mobile phone number recorded on your record we will send you a text with a link to book your appointment - please use this method if possible to relieve pressure on our phone lines.
- All other patients aged over 80 or above, we will ring you - please do not ring us. Our main phone lines need to be accessible for patient care and we have specific staff ringing on other lines to book your Covid-19 vaccination appointment. We cannot book ALL of you straight away and we may find that we need to book some of you at a slightly later date when yet another supply is received - but please do not worry. Supplies are coming quicker and quicker and even if we don't get to speak to you before these appointments fill up, we anticipate opening up more clinics very soon after, but obviously can only do so when we are certain we will have enough vaccine in stock.
VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE DO NOT RING BODMIN HOSPITAL TO MAKE ENQUIRIES ABOUT THIS VACCINATION PROGRAMME. YOUR GP SURGERY WILL BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUERY.
Flu Vaccinations
Fowey River Practice have clinics available for the 50-64 year olds cohort. We will be contacting you to book either by text or telephone. Please arrive AT your appointment time and not early. You need to read this information before attending (click on information).
We have completed our 'organised' Flu Clinics. If you think you should have had an invitation and have not yet taken up the opportunity to have an injection, please contact Reception.
Computer System Change
Thank you for your patience with our recent computer change. We are now fully up and running with our new system. Online Services are coming gradually as we have to re-register everyone that had previously registered with the Waiting Room. If you have not received an email from us, please contact Paula Julian at the beginning of November via the contact details above.
You can now let us know you have arrived via your text reminder. Please click on the link upon arrival, enter your date of birth and that will book you into your appointment.
Please ensure we have an up-to-date mobile number for you to ensure you are receiving your appointment reminders.
Help at Hand Community Information App: 
The Help at Hand community info App provides you with easy access to the latest support services available in the Fowey area, by telephone and online.
This App is available via the App Store (iPhone, iPad) or Google Play (Android).
The App and most of the services listed on it are completely free of charge.
Please share with your friends, family and work colleagues. We aim to make sure all these support services are available to everyone.
Thank you and keep safe.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/help-at-hand-community-info/id1441107175
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=community.hand.help
https://hand.community/
Self Referrals to the NHS Volunteer Responders scheme
If you feel you are vulnerable at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and you would benefit from the NHS Volunteer Responders you can self-refer to the scheme rather than depending on us or other professionals to refer you.
The number to make a self-referral is: 0808 1963646.
The volunteers can help you with shopping, prescription deliveries, biological sample collection and transport to medical appointments.
Coronavirus Trial:
Join a COVID-19 clinical trial
The PRINCIPLE trial aims to find treatments that reduce hospital admission and improve symptoms for people with COVID-19. You could be eligible to join if
- You have had these symptoms for fewer than 15 days:
- a continuous new or worsening cough
- a high temperature
- You are aged 50 to 64 with a pre-existing illness
- You are aged 65 and above
CORONAVIRUS:
Government guidance now dictates that anyone attending the surgery must wear a face covering. We would appreciate your help with this. Further guidance is available here.
Important information about the coronavirus (COVID-19)
The NHS in England and Public Health England (PHE) are well prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases. The NHS has put in place measures to protect patients, our community and NHS staff while ensuring as many services as possible are available to the public.
If you have symptoms associated with coronavirus including a new continuous cough and a high temperature, you are advised to stay at home for 7 days.
Please do NOT book a GP appointment or attend your GP practice.
If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home. After 14 days, anyone you live with who does not have symptoms can return to their normal routine.
But, if anyone in your home gets symptoms, they should stay at home for 7 days from the day their symptoms start. Even if it means they're at home for longer than 14 days. The most up-to-date public guidance is always online at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus
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 are advised to do so by the online service or you cannot go online.
NHS England and NHS Improvement have posted another one of our #ThankYouNHS series thanking staff across the NHS for protecting our communities and reducing the spread of the coronavirus.
A new GOV.UK WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Service has now been launched. The purpose of this product is to combat the spread of misinformation propagated through WhatsApp on an Official Government channel. To use the service, members of the public simply add +44 7860 064422 to their contacts and send a WhatsApp message saying “Hi”.
How we are dealing with Coronavirus
In light of the Coronavirus outbreak, we are temporarily changing the way in which the Practice operates. This is to protect our elderly and vulnerable patients by separating our routine general practice work from patients presenting with a possible infectious illness. All routine work is now being undertaken in Fowey Surgery.
As from 25th March our procedures will once again be changing.
Both of our sites (Par and Fowey) will be complete triage. This will mean that if you phone for an appointment then the receptionists will ask for some details Attached. The doctor will then call you back and offer you an appointment if necessary. You will be given a time to arrive at the surgery and we ask that you remain in your car. The doctor will call you and ask you to come into the surgery for your appointment. Please do not bring anyone else with you unless you absolutely have no choice (mobility issues, problems understanding, or if it is child will be acceptable.) We are taking this approach to prevent patients sitting in the waiting room.
Medication:
Your medication will be issued as normal. However, you will also no longer be able to come into the surgery to collect prescriptions. This is to prevent too many people in the waiting area. All prescriptions will need to be sent electronically to the chemist (for this we will need your consent - please call reception and tell them that you would like your prescriptions to go electronically and to which chemist).
Order prescriptions online (links below).
Please order your medication 7 days in advance, this will allow us time to process your prescription whilst ensuring you don’t run out. Prescription requests WILL NOT be taken by telephone. We are not able to process more than a months' worth of medication at a time. This is to prevent stock piling and creating a lack of available medication for the whole country.
Appointments:
Clearly this is a rapidly evolving situation and our service may have to change to reflect this but please be assured that the care of our patients will be met as far as we can.
Nurse Appointments:
Will no longer be pre-booked unless you require the following procedures:
INR, Dressing, Removal of Stitches/sutures, Childhood Immunisations and Cervical Screening that requires an early repeat in 3, 6 or 12 months.
There are many blood tests that we will book including drug/condition monitoring, however, routine bloods will be suspended. Patients requiring B12 injections will be booked on a case by case basis after telephone triage with the Clinician.
We will no longer be routinely offering ear wash outs, shingles or travel vaccinations.
Obviously this is a summary with many procedures not mentioned. If you are in doubt please speak to the Receptionist who will be able to advise you fully with the latest guidance.
Self Help:
We will endeavour to keep our website updated but there are ways you can help yourself:
Use eConsult (link above)
NHS England have produced a very simple 'Stay At Home' guidance document which is attached here.
We have currently suspended ALL online appointments due to additional information being required on booking because of Coronavirus.
(Site updated 12/01/2021)