The following update has been sent out by the Wessex LMC to be distributed to patients by all practices in the LMC area.
TO ALL OF OUR PATIENTS
We are all excited to hear that there is real progress on a Covid vaccine and that this should improve the quality of life for all of us.
We know that you, like us, are struggling with the confines imposed upon us all due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Everyone is trying to make the best of the situation and, as a practice, we are committed to caring for you in the best possible way whilst keeping both you and our team safe.
To keep you as informed as possible, we will update these messages frequently as we become aware of more information from NHS England:
- Some hospitals have now received the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine and have started to vaccinate patients. The hospitals are sending out invitations to the patients they are able to vaccinate.
- Some GP surgeries will be getting vaccines in the next few weeks.
- We are waiting to hear the delivery date of local vaccines
- We have to follow strict government guidelines which tell us which group of patients to vaccinate first
- We will contact you if you are eligible for a vaccine when we know what date the vaccine is available for you.
- It is essential, if you are given a vaccine, that you return for the second part of the vaccination on the date that you are advised to.
- Please do not telephone us to ask when or if you are going to get a Covid Vaccine. We will contact you individually if and when you are invited to have one and will keep this website updated with as much information as we can.
- We have many patients to vaccinate so we ask for your patience as we work through this vaccination programme which will last well into 2021.
Meanwhile, we all need to keep to the advice of hand-washing, face masks and social distancing but we all look forward to the time when we will return to life as normal.
We will keep you informed as we receive further information. Please be assured that we have not be advised of, nor do we expect that, immunisation against Covid-19 will be mandatory – we are aware that some patients are concerned that they will be forced to have this immunisation. There are no mandatory immunisations in the UK and we do not expect and are not aware of any plans for the Covid-19 immunisation to be made mandatory.
Please also be aware that we have remained open throughout the pandemic and have kept our GPs on site unlike other practices you may be aware of that allowed their GPs to work from home leaving their practices without a doctor on site. Further, we are one of the very few practices who opened their waiting room doors back in September this year and have kept them open since.
10 December 2020