Covid-19 Vaccine Update 22nd February 2021, from Rachel Kershaw Managing Partner
COVID-19 UPDATE
WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING THROUGH THE VACCINATION PROGRAMME AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN.
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE SURGERY FOR A COVID-19 VACCINATION, WE WILL CONTACT YOU.
MANY THANKS FOR YOU UNDERTSANDING DURING THIS BUSY PERIOD.
DUE TO REDUCED STAFFING CAPACITY BECAUSE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WE ARE RECEIVING A SUSTAINED WAIT PERIOD ON OUR PHONE LINES, PLEASE ONLY CONTACT THE SURGERY IF IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AT THIS PRESENT TIME.
WE WILL STILL CONTINUE TO BE TRIAGING GP AND NURSE PRACTITIONER APPOINTMENTS FIRST BY A CLINICIAN OVER THE PHONE.
We are receiving a high amount of phone calls into the surgery due to the current pandemic. We have implemented a specific queuing system to allow you to know where you are in the queue. We are aware of the increase and are doing everything possible to counter act the wait time you experience.
Firstly I would like to thank you all for your patience and understanding by following the local and national advice not to contact the NHS to enquire about getting your vaccine. We would still advise that you continue to wait until you become eligible and you receive an invitation.
You may receive your invitation from us at the Practice, by text, call or letter or you could receive an invitation to use the National Booking Service where you can book into one of the Mass Vaccination sites.
You can use the following link if you are eligible for you vaccine to book into one of the Mass Vaccination Centres https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/
We have been working incredibly hard to invite all of our highest priority patients on Groups 1-4 by the Governments deadline of 15th February.
I am delighted to say that all of our patients in Groups 1-4 have received a vaccination invite and we have vaccinated over 1,000 of our most vulnerable patients, including those who are housebound and those living in Care homes.
But I would continue to ask for your patience as we move onto those Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) patients who are now being invited for their vaccine. Those patients invited will be those classified as CEV and aged 18-69.
Shortly we expect to be in a position to move to our Groups 5 Patients; they are patients over 65 and under 70 years old. We will contact you when we know that we are getting a vaccine delivery for you
You can find more information about the priority groups here. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-care-home-and-healthcare-settings-posters/covid-19-vaccination-first-phase-priority-groups
Our ability to move onto the next priority groups depends on the deliveries of vaccines. As you will be aware from national and local media we have been very lucky in our area and have managed to receive deliveries of vaccines and vaccinate large numbers of patients. However this has not been the case in other parts of the country. Therefore we may find a delay in vaccine delivery in this area as vaccines may be diverted to those areas with larger numbers of patients in groups 1-4 who haven’t yet been offered their vaccine. We have no control over this unfortunately.
If you are over 70 years old and you have not had your vaccine and would like to book an appointment please call us now.
ISSUES WITH PHONE LINES
We are aware of an issue with our phone lines which is resulting in extended waiting times and also some issues when you are in the telephone queue.
This is due to the impact of the current pandemic and the different ways in which we are having to work to ensure we remain Covid Secure and continue to protect the health of you and our staff.
We have seen an increase in the use of the telephone both in incoming calls and outgoing calls. This increase is 4 times the usual activity on the phones.
Please bare with us.
We have escalated this issue to our telecomms provider and BT and we have been told its being worked on as a priority. We also understand this is an issue affecting many other GP Practices in Sheffield too.
We are looking at increasing the capacity of our telephone system as soon as we can and we are assured that the other issues we cannot deal with are being handled by our telecomms company and BT as a matter of urgency.
I completely appreciate how frustrating this is, its frustrating for us too, but I must please ask that you do not become frustrated with our Reception Team. They are working very hard in extremely challenging times and they are here to help you. Please respect that and ensure that you make the most of the time on the phone with the receptionist – let them concentrate on your queries and the reason why you called and not be distracted by your frustration or anger. They cannot do anything about how long you’ve waited, or how many times you’ve called. Please know that we are aware of the issues you are experiencing and we are dealing with them as quickly as we can.
If you are calling for medical attention today make sure that you call before 10.30am, you will then get a call back from a clinician where they will triage your call. Most patients can be dealt with successfully over the phone. Not all patients need to be seen. The clinician will decide if you need to be seen after you have been clinically assessed over the phone.
You have a greater chance of a shorter wait on the phone if you call after 10.30am for anything else you need to speak to us about.
We are currently experiencing very high staff absence due to the impact of government isolation rules. Please only contact the surgery if it is absolutely necessary and cannot wait. It is inevitable that if you do contact the practice at this time you will experience extended time waiting on the phone. We would ask you to be patient and respectful with our staff at this challenging time. Thank you – Rachel Kershaw, Managing Practice Partner
The NHS is open for business.
If you need medical help, the NHS is still here for you.
The practice is open and available for patients who need care
If you need medical help from us, contact us by phone on 0114 2456123 to be assessed. Please don’t turn up at the GP surgery without an appointment.
If you need urgent medical help, use the NHS 111 online service. If you cannot get help online, call 111 and they’ll direct you to the best place. A&E and the walk in centre are open for urgent and emergency health needs.
If it’s a serious or life-threatening emergency, call 999. If you are told to go to the hospital, you must go to the hospital.
This Sheffield website includes information about the services available and when to use them, as well as information on waiting times for each of the urgent and emergency services in Sheffield – http://sheffieldurgentcare.co.uk” Click here to visit the website…
If you have Coronavirus symptoms:-
a high temperature
a new, continuous cough
a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste
*Get a test now. Do not leave home for at least 10 days.*To get a test now, click this link
If you require a self-isolation letter do not contact the surgery, we do not supply these. Please click on this link for a self-isolation note..
