Our next Covid19 vaccination clinics are 21st and 22nd January 2021
Vaccinations will be offered by appointment only to patients aged 74 years or older OR Healthcare professionals, and will be held at the Corbett Medical Practice. As we have a very limited number of vaccines, the Practice is contacting patients directly to book an appointment. This is to ensure that we comply with the JCVI cohorts and then within those cohorts invite patients at higher risk first.
If you are a health and social care worker, please contact the practice to notify us of this so that we can prioritise access to a vaccination appropriately. Please note that you will be required to provide evidence that you are currently employed as a health and social care worker.
2nd Dose vaccinations
You may have seen in the media that the dates for 2nd doses of the vaccinations has been pushed back from 3 week to up to 12 weeks. The JCVI publication states:
'Given the high level of protection afforded by the first dose, models suggest that initially vaccinating a greater number of people with a single dose will prevent more deaths and hospitalisations than vaccinating a smaller number of people with two doses.
The second dose is still important to provide longer lasting protection and is expected to be as or more effective when delivered at an interval of 12 weeks from the first dose'
The JCVI concludes:
'The Committee advises initially prioritising delivery of the first vaccine dose as this is highly likely to have a greater public health impact in the short term and reduce the number of preventable deaths from COVID-19'.
We are recruiting
Please see our vacancies page for more information.
NEW Covid-19 vaccination programme
The Droitwich practices are working together to deliver the Covid-19 vaccinations. The dedicated vaccination clinics are operating out of the Droitwich Medical Centre in the town centre next to the police station, as the vaccine has very specific storage and handling requirements. The Corbett Medical Practice Team will be working out of there to deliver these to our patients.
The Droitwich practices are allocated a limited supply of vaccines to start administering them to our patients following the JCVI priority groups and are currently offering vaccinations to those aged 75 or more, or frontline healthcare workers.
Please contact our Reception team on 01905 795566 to book your appointment.
About the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine
Video: Introduction to our covid-19 vaccination programme
Who gets the vaccine first?
NEW Flu vaccinations for over 50s: Vaccinations still available!
GP Practices are able to provide flu vaccinations for the over 50s, who are not otherwise in an 'at-risk' group. This is the first year that the NHS has been able to offer this service to this group of patients. Evidence shows that the over 50s are more likely to be severely ill if they contract coronavirus (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html) and studies show that for people who contract both the flu and coronavirus together, the risk of death doubles (https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3720).
Although we have now held our main clinic we still have vaccine available. If you would like to receive a flu please just contact the practice to book an appointment.
Extended flu vaccination programme - information for 50-64 year olds
Please look at this Germ Defence website created by a team of Doctors and scientists providing advice that has been proven to reduce the spread of viruses in the home. It can help you plan how to protect yourself and members of your family from infection by COVID19 and the flu. People who have followed this Germ Defence advice had fewer and less severe illnesses and so did the people they lived with.
NEW Covid-19 vaccine programme:
Following the announcement of the new vaccine, Practices are starting to get information through. There are some significant practical considerations to work through as we work out how the vaccinations will be delivered locally. As soon as we have arrangements confirmed, we will communicate this and contact patients directly to invite them to attend. You do not need to contact the practice, as we are unable to make any bookings at present.
Flu vaccinations
Please watch our video for an outline of how we will deliver our vaccination programme this year.
Corbett Medical Practice - working through the Covid19 crisis
The Practice is continuing to provide a service throughout the current pandemic. We are having to constantly adjust our way of working to new information, guidelines and demands but the practice team is now working steadily to start building our range of services back up. We have had to fully embrace new ways of working and introduce more digital solutions to help us keep our patients and staff safe by working remotely whenever possible. Whilst we are beginning to see more patients back on site at The Corbett Medical Practice, numbers are still very limited and we are needing to take precautions. Consequently we need you to:
- only come to the Practice if you have a face to face appointment booked
- ring the door bell 2 minutes before your appointment time to be let in
- wear a mask (a home-made cloth mask is sufficient)
- come into the practice alone (unless you are a child or have special needs)
Coronavirus - Covid19
The NHS has put in place measures to ensure the safety of all patients and NHS staff, while also ensuring services are still available to the public. Key information
(Sick) Fit notes for those in isolation due to Covid -19 Coronavirus.
You do not need to contact your GP for fit notes if you are unwell and in isolation. These will be issued via 111 NHS online, see https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note
Changes to the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)
We are upgrading to the next phase of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) which will mean that almost all our prescriptions will be processed electronically from 10/06/2020
Electronic prescriptions help save the NHS money.
You will receive your prescriptions in the same way as you do now.
Read more about EPS on the NHS website.
Receiving encypted information from the Practice
As the Practice uses more digital methods of working with you, we may need to send you information via email in a secure way. Please see this guide to help you understand how to access an email that the Practice has sent you securely.
Photographs to support remote consultations
As we are now frequently conducting telephone consultations, you may be asked to provide a photograph of your skin condition. This needs to be as clear as possible to help the GP to advise you appropriately. Please see this simple guide on how to photograph your skin condition.
Wearing a mask
To help protect you and our staff members, if you do need to come to the practice to be seen, we ask that you wear a mask or other face covering (such as a scarf) to cover your nose and mouth. Please see this link to see how you can make your own mask.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) response: additional information included in SCR by default
To help the NHS to respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we are including additional information in Summary Care Records for patients by default, unless they have previously told the NHS that they did not want their information to be shared. Further information.
Beware of scammers
There is heightened coverage around the Coronavirus outbreak around the world, which is now severely impacting on the UK and the NHS. Unfortunately fraudsters are targeting these circumstances to take advantage of public fear and concern.
We have been made aware that our patients are receiving phone calls, texts and letters from fraudsters. They will try and obtain your personal details and in particular your NHS number.
Scammers are sophisticated, opportunistic and will try many ways to get the information they want. They often target the vulnerable.
If you are suspicious, do not give any details over the phone, hang up and then ring your GP practice to confirm.
Childhood vaccinations
It is essential that we maintain our childhood vaccination programme during the current Coronavirus situation, to prevent an outbreak of childhood diseases such as measles at this time. The full range of childhood vaccinations are available and catch up vaccines are also available for children who may not have completed their full course previously. If you would like further information, are unclear on your child's vaccination status or have any further queries - we encourage parents to speak to our nursing team.
MMR catch up programme
NHS England are launching a catch up programme for children aged 10 or 11 years who did not have or previously did not complete both of the MMR vaccines as part of their routine childhood vaccinations.
Children will be invited to attend the practice for their MMR. But you do not need to wait for an invitation. If your child missed out or you are uncertain please just contact the practice and we can check their records and book them in with one of our Nurses.
Please help stop the spread of Measles. This is a serious disease that can have very serious consequences.
See https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/mmr-vaccine-when-needed/ for more information.
Lifestyle Advisor service
Droitwich and Ombersley Practices are delighted to introduce a new lifestyle advisory service in conjunction with Onside Advocacy. You can self refer into this service at any time to work towards becoming healthier and happier... more
Improved Access Appointments
In addition to the practice’s normal opening hours, you can also book an appointment to see a local clinician in the evenings or on Saturday and Sunday at locations across South Worcestershire.
GP practices are working together to provide Improved Access appointments to our patients. This means that your Improved Access appointment may be with a different GP, nurse or based in a different location or practice than you are used to, and some of these appointments are telephone only.
These appointments are pre-bookable by contacting the surgery during our opening times – when calling please ask for an Improved Access appointment and our receptionists will help you to find a convenient appointment.
Alternatively you can now call a dedicated number direct to book an appointment 01905 789061. This line is open weekdays 6.30 - 8pm and weekends 8 - 12am.
Online consultations
Register for our new on-line consultation system via Doctorlink. This allows you to check your symptoms 24/7 and will confirm if you need to see a GP. Click Doctorlink to get started.
CQC Annual regulatory review
Further to our inspection in 2016 where the Practice was awarded an overall 'Outstanding' rating, CQC conducted a further routine annual review in May 2019. The Practice maintains it's 'Outstanding' status and will undergo another routine review in 12 months time.
Veteran Friendly Accreditation
The Corbett Medical Practice is now an Accredited Veteran Friendly Practice. Please do make the Practice aware if you are now or ever have been a member of the armed forces. The Practice can then ensure that you are linked in with relevant services.
Prescribing restrictions
The following items are no longer available on prescription in Worcestershire:
- gluten-free goods,
- infant milk and formula,
- over-the-counter medicines
- oral nutritional supplements
Please be aware that this is not a practice decision and part of a county-wide imperative. Further information
Complaints
If you need to register a complaint please contact: The Complaints Team, NHS South Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, Barnsley Hall, Barnsley Hall Road, Bromsgrove B61 0TX
Complaints.RBCCG-WFCCG@nhs.net
CQC report - "Outstanding" - May 2016
The practice hosted a team of CQC inspectors in February 2016 who assessed the all aspects of the practice's performance and service provision via an indepth site inspection and series of detailed interviews with practice staff, patient representatives and community healthcare providers in conjunction with clinical outcome data, performance indicators and patient feedback. The practice has been awarded an overall rating of Outstanding having acheived "Outstanding" in 3 and 2 "Good" in the 5 categories assessed.
See the CQC press release and full CQC inspection report - Corbett Medical Practice for further details.