Frome Medical Practice is continuing the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, with the focus on vaccinating patients due to receive a second dose of their vaccine.

Karen Creffield, Practice Manager, said "The Practice would like to thank all our patients for their patience at this time. We are currently at the peak of providing people with their second COVID vaccine and have now given over 20,000 vaccine doses to our patients. This is a very demanding time for us and our teams are all working additional hours so we can ensure everyone is offered an appointment."

SECOND DOSE VACCINE ADVICE

The practice asks that people remain patient and wait for us to call them to arrange their second dose appointment, rather than calling the practice themselves.

Karen said, "Our guidance is that if you received a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine you will hear from us 11-12 weeks after your first appointment. If you received the AstraZeneca vaccine, we may call you from 8 weeks onwards after your first appointment. For patients waiting for a second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, if you've not heard from us 10 weeks after your first dose then please call the practice after 2pm to arrange your second dose appointment. We anticipate that our phone lines are going to remain busy during this time, so please be patient when calling."

NON URGENT APPOINTMENTS – FIRST WEEK OF MAY

The practice is also giving patients advance notice of a busy period they are facing this week, as Karen explains.

"We have been delivering our vaccine programme at the weekend, wherever possible, so as not to disrupt the day-to-day running of the practice. However, we want to advise patients that due to fixed delivery schedules this is not always possible. We know that we will be receiving a delivery of vaccine the week beginning 4th May and as a result of this we will have to offer a large mid week clinic. Unfortunately this is going to limit the availability of non-urgent appointments this week. We ask that patients who need non-urgent advice check our self-care resources on our website, or talk to their local pharmacy, who can advise on issues such as urine infections, some skin conditions, conjunctivitis and other minor illness. The NHS 111 service is also available for non urgent health advice and support."

PATIENTS AGED 40-49

The recent government announcement that people aged 40-49 are now entitled to the vaccine led to a high number of calls to the practice regarding appointments, However, patients who are 40-49 with no underlying health conditions are being invited to book their vaccine appointments by the central NHS, either via text or letter, and are asked not to call the Practice about this. Patients in this age group can also visit nhs.uk to make a vaccination appointment.

The Practice is also reiterating that whilst the vaccine programme is an important step in combating coronavirus, it's important not to become complacent about other measures we can implement to reduce the risk of contracting or spreading the virus.

Karen said, "We are now at Step 2 of the Road Map which aims to bring us out of lockdown. This is great news as it means all our efforts of the last few months are paying off, but it's vitally important that we continue to respect the restrictions that remain in place, along with continuing to maintain social distancing, regular hand washing and the wearing of face coverings where possible."

People with coronavirus symptoms are asked not to visit the Practice, or indeed any public place, and instead they must self isolate at home and arrange for what is known as a PCR test. People without symptoms are also now encouraged to order rapid lateral flow tests, which they can undertake at home.

For more information about vaccinations, coronavirus symptoms and self isolating and testing for coronavirus please visit nhs.uk