COVID vaccine ‘passports’
From 17 May international travel will be permitted to a limited number of countries and in some cases proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required. The mechanism for proving your vaccine status is through the NHS app.
For those who cannot access the NHS app you can request written proof that you have received your COVID-19 vaccination by contacting the NHS on 119. Please do not contact your GP practice.
Planning to travel? The NHS app will be your COVID-19 vaccine ‘passport’.
Whitby, Coast and Moors Primary Care Network will be starting to use a web-based solution to help us manage our appointment system for the COVID-19 vaccination clinics.
We will be sending text messages to invite patients to book an appointment for their COVID-19 vaccine.
The message you receive will come from ‘accurx.thirdparty.nhs.uk’
We realise there are lots of scams out there at the moment and wanted to reassure you that if you receive a message from ‘accurx.thirdparty.nhs.uk’ inviting you to click on a link to book your appointment that it is a legitimate text message from your GP practice.
Once you click on the link in your text message you will be directed to our appointment system and be asked to choose an appointment time. You will also be asked for your date of birth. You will not be asked for any other personal information.
We understand that not everyone has a mobile phone or will be able to respond to a text message so we will continue to telephone those patients to invite them for their COVID-19 vaccination and book an appointment for them.
If you have any concerns please contact us.
You can watch a video with instructions for how to book a vaccination appointment:
The COVID vaccination programme here and across North Yorkshire continues to progress at pace and we’re delighted to say that all of our patients in the first four priority groups, as determined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), have been offered a vaccine.
Thank you for your continued patience.
We are now turning our attention to patients in the next two priority groups – all those aged 65 and over, and all individuals aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality, together with carers and young adults in residential settings.
Vaccine supplies permitting, we’ll be running clinics for patients in these groups over the coming weeks at The Pavilion on West Cliff.
If you are a patient in the fifth priority group (patients aged 65 and over), you may receive a letter from the NHS national booking service (NBS) inviting you to have your jab at a regional vaccination centre or pharmacy.
You can choose to access this service (the nearest ‘regional’ site is at Askham Bar, York and others are available), or you may prefer to wait to be contacted by the practice for an appointment closer to home. If you choose to decline the offer from the national service and wait for an appointment at one of our GP-led clinics, please be assured, you won’t be missed. We’ll be in touch with you at the appropriate time – you don’t need to call us.
If you need medical help, the NHS is still here for you
If you need medical help from your GP Practice, you can contact your practice online or by phone to be assessed.
If you need urgent medical help, use the NHS 111 online service. If you cannot get help online, call 111.
If it’s a serious or life-threatening emergency, call 999
If you are told to go to hospital it is important that you go to hospital.
You should continue to attend your appointments, unless you have been told not to attend.
GP services
We are currently suspending the booking of online appointments to support the NHS policy of reducing the spread of coronavirus. You are required to telephone the surgery for an appointment. The receptionist will take your details, the reason for the appointment and whether you have a persistent cough and/or a fever. You will then be contacted by a GP during the day to assess your requirements. Please be assured that your clinical needs will be met, we will not refuse to see patients who will require a face to face assessment.
About coronavirus (COVID-19)
We would like to ask all patients to:
Follow the current government advice on self-isolation and social distancing. Advice is being kept under constant review and you can find the latest guidance at: www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.
Use NHS111 if the first instance if you have COVID-19 symptoms – a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste – and would like medical advice. Please use NHS 111 online if you have access to the internet: https://111.nhs.uk. Phone NHS111 if you do not have online access.
You should arrange to have a test to see if you have COVID-19. Call 119 or go to the NHS website to book: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing
Do not come to any GP practice unless you have been specifically advised to do so after a phone/video consultation with a clinician at the practice.
Symptoms
Coronavirus symptoms:
- a high temperature
- a new, continuous cough
- a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste
Protecting you and those around you
Like the common cold, coronavirus infection usually occurs through close contact with a person with novel coronavirus via cough and sneezes or hand contact. A person can also catch the virus by touching contaminated surfaces if they do not wash their hands.
Everyone is being reminded to follow Public Health England advice to:
- wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
- always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel
- avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- avoid close contact with people who are unwell.
For those over 70, have an underlying health condition or are pregnant, they are strongly advised against social contact and to significantly limit face-to-face interaction with friends and family if possible.
For those who remain well, are under 70 or do not have an underlying health condition, they are advised to limit their social contact where possible, including using less public transport, working at home and considering not going to pubs, restaurants, theatres and bars.
Face covering exemptions
Here you can find guidance on exemptions from wearing face coverings.
Mental health and wellbeing
Assisted wellbeing
Mindfulness can help your mind to cope with change, especially in ‘Lock down’. For information on an available online mindfulness course, please click here.
The Retreat’s Primary Care Mental Health Support Service
We know many people are experiencing increased problems with their well-being in the current circumstances. It can be hard to access mental health services or to know what support is available.
We are offering free mental health support sessions to patients of your GP practice. These sessions will be with a qualified psychotherapist who will listen and explore what might help you, either on the phone or online video meeting. Individual sessions will be 30 minutes, and we also have support groups of 1 hour.
If you would like to access this support please call 01904 412551
For further details please visit the website for more information on all services.
The Go-To site for children and young people
A new website has been launched, dedicated to helping children and young people in North Yorkshire find mental health support.
The Go-To – www.thegoto.org.uk – is designed to be a portal or ‘single point of information’ showcasing the mental health support services offered by different agencies in the county.
With the majority of young people currently not in school and many in isolation as a result of the restrictions imposed on movement to deal with the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, health leaders believe online mental health support for young people has never been more important.