Vaccination Programme

Everyone who is aged 70 or over or who is in the ‘Shielded category’ should by now have received an invitation for their first COVID19 vaccination.

Over 70s patients have a choice in terms of where they receive their vaccine:

• Via their local GP service
• At a vaccination centre

If patients would prefer to receive their jab via their local GP, they should wait to be contacted. They are asked not to telephone the surgery to ask about their vaccination as this will not speed up the process, and could prevent those with medical concerns getting through to the practice.

If patients would prefer not to wait, or would like to have their jab at a vaccination centre, then they can book here. Alternatively, or if they do not have access to the internet, they can call 119.

COVID vaccinations are being rolled out in accordance with nationally defined priorities. The next cohorts to receive their invitations will be those aged 65 years or over and those aged 16-65 years in ‘at risk’ groups. People who are in these cohorts will be contacted by their GP surgery and NHS England with further information. They should not telephone their surgery for the reasons outlined above.

If you have already received your first vaccination, please do not ring your surgery to ask about your second vaccination. Your surgery will contact you with this information in due course.

Please remember that your GP surgery is working under considerable pressure at the moment. They are doing their best to deliver the vaccination programme at the same time as trying to help patients with health concerns. Please bear this in mind when speaking to any member of the surgery team, and treat them with courtesy and respect.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Further information:
Vaccination information
NHS Vaccination First Phase Programme Priority Groups

 

29 January 2021

COVID19 Vaccination Roll-out - Frequently Asked Questions

Herefordshire General Practice and Taurus Healthcare are at the forefront of the delivery of the COVID Vaccination Programme across the county.

Many patients have asked us why they’re being asked to go to a central hub for their vaccination, rather than receiving it at their local GP Surgery. This is because the vaccines, and in particular the Pfizer BioNTech one, are very sensitive and have to be transported and stored in a specific way. By delivering the vaccines at PCN (Primary Care Network) hubs, we are minimising the risk of the vaccine being mishandled or becoming damaged as defined by the vaccine manufacturer.

Delivery via central PCN Hubs also enables us to be more efficient in terms of the number of vaccines we can deliver in one session.

At the present time, we are receiving roughly equal amounts of the Pfizer BioNTech and Astra Zeneca vaccines. Patients will not be given the opportunity to choose which vaccine they receive, but please note that both are considered equally effective.

As time progresses, we are expecting to receive more of the Astra Zeneca than the Pfizer vaccine. The Astra Zeneca vaccine is much easier to manage and therefore it may be possible in the future for more vaccinations to be administered from GP surgeries.

In the meantime, we recommend that you make arrangements to attend your local clinic as soon as you are contacted. Invitations are being sent out in priority order, with those most at risk from the infection being invited to attend first. Please do not contact your GP surgery to ask when you will be invited; they will be in touch with you as soon as it’s your turn to come forward.

Those patients who are genuinely housebound will be contacted by their GP surgery to arrange a visit, either by surgery staff or the Taurus Healthcare roving service.

For further information and answers to more Frequently Asked Questions, visit the Government's website.  

 

19 January 2021

District Nursing and COVID Vaccinations

Please note that there are currently no plans for District Nurses to administer COVID vaccinations to house-bound patients. This is due to the complexities around the cold chain.

If at all possible, patients should arrange to attend their local clinic (when contacted) to have their jab. Those patients who are genuinely housebound will be contacted by their GP surgery to arrange for a visit, whether that be from the surgery staff or the Taurus Healthcare roving service. 

As a reminder, the priority order for the roll-out of the vaccine has been defined by NHS England as follows:

• Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers 
• All those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers 
• All those 75 years of age and over 
• All those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals 
• All those 65 years of age and over. All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality 
• All those 60 years of age and over 
• All those 55 years of age and over 
• All those 50 years of age and over 

Please do not contact your GP surgery to ask when you can have your vaccine. They will be in touch with you as soon as it’s your turn to come forward.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. 

 

15 January 2021

Herefordshire General Practice and Taurus Healthcare COVID vaccination roll-out

12 January 2021

Beware of COVID Vaccine scams

We are aware of a number of scams currently circulating in which members of the public are being promised COVID vaccinations in return for a payment.

Please note that there is NO private supply of COVID vaccine. COVID vaccinations are only available via the NHS and are free of charge for patients.

To help us to help you, please do not call your GP surgery to find out when you will receive your jab. You will be contacted as soon as it is your turn to receive your free vaccination, in line with Government prioritisation guidelines. We will get to you as soon as we possibly can.

In the meantime, please do not engage with any callers who offer vaccinations for a fee and contact the police on 101.