Please read the following information carefully:

You are now eligible to book an appointment for an Autumn Covid booster and a flu vaccine. This is available for everyone over 50, so long as your last booster was more than 91 days (three months) ago. It is also for patients under 50 known to be at higher risk.

We will be inviting patients in age and risk order. Please to wait to hear form us before attempting to book your appointment.

To book your appointment please call reception (01242 602307) after 14:00, Monday to Friday, or follow the link if you have received this invitation by text. The clinics will begin in late September and running through until November. They are on an appointment only basis.

Please note that current guidelines advise that you shouldn’t have a booster vaccine within four weeks of a Covid infection.

If you have also received a letter directly from NHS England about your booster, please be aware that the National Booking System does not have access to our surgery appointments so we would advise you to follow our link or call reception rather than book through the national service.

The Autumn booster will be Moderna which has shown good protection against new variants. There may be other vaccines introduced through the autumn too. There is evidence that the covid booster vaccine wears off over a period of time, particularly in our older patients, hence the advice to get an additional vaccine at this time in order to keep you fully protected.

You will also be offered your seasonal flu vaccination at the same time. We advise having both vaccines at the same time as you will build good protection for both infections ahead of the winter and we would not expect you to have any greater chance of side effects.

You will only need to be observed for 15 minutes after your vaccination if you are driving or have never had a Moderna vaccine previously. Otherwise, you will be allowed to leave straight away.

What can I do to help make the vaccine clinics run smoothly and safely?

• Please attend at your allocated appointment time and allow time for parking.
• Only come if you have a booked appointment.
• Please come alone unless you need someone to help you with your mobility.
• Due to a large volume of patients coming through the surgery, we would prefer you to wear a face mask or face covering unless you have a valid exemption.
• Wear clothing that easily allows access to an upper arm and remove any additional coats and layers before arrival.
• Follow all the instructions you are given on the day relating to social distancing.
• Clinicians will not have access to your record and cannot provide any other care at this clinic. For other queries about your healthcare, please contact the main surgery as usual.

What happens if I am housebound?

We would ask everyone to try to find a way to come to the surgery as the task of vaccination 4000 patients aged 50 and over is a big one!

If you go out to the hairdressers, supermarket or hospital appointments we would expect you to come to the surgery. You can ask a family member or friend to bring you to the clinic or arrange a taxi.

If you are so immobile that you never leave the house, then please let reception know so that we can add you to our list of patients requiring vaccination at home.

We really do not want you to miss out on your Covid booster so please book in to one of our dedicated clinics at the surgery.

You will be asked the following questions when you come to the clinic. If you answer yes to any of the questions, please advise your vaccinator at the time.

1. Are you a carer, health care worker, social care worker, do you work or live in a residential care home?
2. Are you feeling unwell today, with a fever?
3. Do you currently have any symptoms that could be due to covid infection?
4. Have you had covid in the past 28 days if over 18 or in the past 12 weeks if under 18?
5. Have you had any other vaccines in the last seven days?
6. Have you taken part in any trials of possible covid vaccines?
7. Have you ever had any serious allergic reactions to any medicines, vaccines, or anything else?
8. Have you ever had a very serious allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, where the cause could not be found?
9. Have you had any serious blood clots associated with a low platelet count?
10. Have you been told you have had a rare medical problem called “systemic capillary leak syndrome” following a previous covid vaccine?
11. Are you taking any medicines that “thin the blood” such as aspirin, clopidogrel, rivaroxaban, warfarin or apixaban?
12. Did you develop an itchy rash after either of your previous covid vaccine doses?
13. Are you severely immunosuppressed?