We will soon be inviting our eligible patients, to book a 10 minute appointment to have the RSV Vaccine with one of our nurses. Your GP encourages you to have this vaccination to reduce the risks of you getting serious complications from pneumonia.

Please follow this link to find out more about the RSV Vaccine.

We are holding our main flu clinic on Saturday 5th October 2024 from 8.30am to 12.30pm at the Charlton Medical Centre. We are asking patients to please support our practice by having their flu vaccinations at the surgery. All eligible patients are invited to attend this drop in clinic (no appointment is necessary).

Check Your Eligibility 

You are eligible for a free flu vaccination if you are:

• pregnant 
• aged 65 years or over
• aged 18 years to under 65 years in a clinical risk group (as defined by the Green Book, Influenza Chapter 19)
• a resident in a long-stay residential care home
• a carer in receipt of carer's allowance, or the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• a close contact of an immunocompromised individual 
• a frontline worker in a social care setting without an employer lef occupational health scheme

Vaccination At The Right Time

It is important to have your vaccination at the right time. The flu vaccine is thought to provide protection for at least six months, but it is most effective for the first three months. The vaccine takes two weeks to become fully effective, but antibody levels can decrease over time. The flu vaccine is not 100% effective, but it can lower the chances of having severe complications from infection.

So by having your vaccination in early October, you will have protection throughout the winter months when cases of flu are at their highest.

If you would like to find out more about the flu vaccination, please click on the image below.

Where Should I Get My Flu Vaccine?

Please select the following link for all information for adults who are eligible for a flu vaccination on the NHS.

Instances of abusive and bad behaviour are a growing concern within our GP practices across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

We are appealing to everyone to please remember the pressures our healthcare professionals are facing and to be respectful and kind when speaking to them.

Abusive behaviour is never acceptable, and it will not be tolerated. It is upsetting and demoralising and only serves to deepen the problem.

Sadly, we hear far too regularly that our staff face abusive and bad behaviour whilst they are trying to do their jobs. This has a negative impact on their ability to do their roles to the best of their abilities and can have a knock-on effect on family and friends too.
 

We understand frustrations, but please be aware that demand for appointments, consultations, and waiting lists have all increased. To try to manage this, the hours worked by our staff have also increased to manage this demand.

Every patient who gets in touch with their GP practice is triaged and signposted to the most appropriate service or treatment for them.

This might mean seeing someone face-to-face, whether that is a GP or another healthcare professional who can help with the issue. It might also mean advice over email or signposting to another service such as community pharmacy.

Using all these different ways to see and advise patients has helped General Practice to manage the increasing number of people who need help.  

For those seeking help, please help us by providing as much information as possible when you get in touch. This helps the practice to provide you with the right service in the right timescales.  

Please also bear in mind that our local healthcare system remains incredibly busy, and we are providing the best service we can, given the demand.

We can all do our bit to help to use health and care services appropriately, to treat everyone with respect, and to protect our NHS.

Please remember our NHS services rely on the sheer hard work and dedication of our teams. Please consider this when you next contact the practice.