We delighted that a COVID vaccine is now available in the UK. We are contacting our patients to invite them to our COVID vaccine clinics, which are being run at STEAM MUSEUM in Swindon.

Please DO NOT telephone us to ask when or if you are going to get a Vaccine. We understand you want to know about this, but our phone lines are being inundated with queries and this is reducing vital access for patients who urgently need our services.

We will offer as many vaccine clinics as we can, based on the amount of vaccine available to us, while prioritising access to day-to-day services at the practice for those most in need.

Please be aware that when we are delivering the vaccine some of our staff will be working at the STEAM museum.  We will be running these clinics on Wednesdays and Fridays and  this will impact on normal services at the practice on those days.  Please be patient and accept that it may take longer for the phone to be answered or there may be less appointments available on these days.  We are all working extremely hard to provide the best care we can.

We will contact you individually if and when you are invited to have a vaccine. If you have been offered an appointment please read this important leaflet, which includes directions to the STEAM museum Covid Vaccination Leaflet – Wyvern Health Partnership 

We are doing our absolute best to look after our patients and our team during this difficult time, so please be kind and bear with us if things take longer than usual. We know that you, like us, are struggling with the confines imposed upon us all due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To keep you as informed as possible, we will update these messages frequently as we become aware of more information from NHS England. You can find more information on the vaccine on the Government website here.

Please continue to abide by all the social distancing and hand hygiene guidance, which will still save lives.

We are organising our last few flu vaccination clinics for anyone aged 50 – 64 years old. We have a limited supply of vaccines so please call reception as soon as possible to book an appointment.

Many thanks

Only those patients that meet the government’s new  criteria will receive “shielding” letters from NHSE. The criteria have changed since the first wave of shielding so some patients that received a letter earlier in the year may not receive one now. If you haven’t received a letter you DO NOT need to shield but observe strict social distancing advice and adhere to lockdown rules. Due to current clinical demand the doctors are not able to enter into individual discussions regarding who is eligible. Below is the list of conditions that the government consider highest risk. If you feel you have been missed by the government please carefully read the criteria and email your query to [email protected]   clearly stating how you meet the criteria, a clinician will review your notes in due course then advise if you do fit the criteria.

• solid organ transplant recipients
• those with specific cancers:
• people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy
• people with lung cancer who are undergoing radical radiotherapy
• people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
• people having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
• people having other targeted cancer treatments that can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
• people who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs
• those with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• those with rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), homozygous sickle cell disease)
• those on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection
• adults with Down’s syndrome
• adults on dialysis or with chronic kidney disease (stage 5)
• women who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired
• other people who have also been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, based on clinical judgement and an assessment of their needs. GPs and hospital clinicians have been provided with guidance to support these decisions

Please do not come into the surgery. We are dealing with patients who need emergency treatment over the phone.  Our reception desk is not open to book appointments or for any other queries.

If you do need to speak to a GP urgently, please call our main number on 01793 536541. (more…)