Biggest Vaccination Programme in History!
The NHS is now offering COVID vaccinations to patients. This follows the approval of both the Pfizer BioNTech. Moderna and Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines as safe and effective after extensive trials. The first vaccinations are being offered to people in the priority groups identified by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), starting with people in care homes and those aged 80 and over.
Groups of GP practices are working together to provide vaccines from local centres and in care homes and will contact eligible patients when it is their turn. Vaccines for frontline health and care workers will also be offered at hospital ‘hubs’ to staff who are at the greatest risk of catching Covid-19. We know lots of people will be eager to get protected but you will be invited for a vaccine when it’s your turn so please do not contact your practice or the NHS for an appointment. When it is your turn, you will receive an invitation via the phone or through a letter either from your GP or the national booking system. If you are invited for a vaccine, please act on your invite straight away and make sure you attend your appointments when you arrange them.
The NHS is working exceptionally hard to make sure those at greatest risk are offered the vaccine first and people will not be able to make an appointment until they have received their invitation. We can do this much quicker if patients bear with us and wait until we contact you in age order. Please only utilize our limited telephone lines if you have a medical need. You may receive a text message with a link that will allow you to book your own appointment for the vaccine. If you receive one of these messages but are unable to use this service, call the surgery and we will look at booking an appointment for you over the phone. Please bear in mind that we are allocated so many vaccines on a weekly basis, and are working with several other surgeries from Wakefield to provide this mass vaccination service without disrupting the day to day running of the Practice. Given the scale of how many people need the vaccine, we are working as fast as possible and do appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.
As more supplies of the vaccines become available, we will be able to offer vaccinations to more people and at other locations. These will include local vaccination services provided by GPs and pharmacists, in people’s homes if they can’t come to us and new dedicated vaccination centres to make sure that everyone who needs a vaccine is able to get one.
Please note that vaccinations are free of charge and only available through the NHS. Anyone who claims to be able to provide you with a vaccine for a fee is likely to be committing a crime and should be reported to the Police online or by calling 112. The NHS will never ask you to press a button on your keypad or send a text asking you to confirm you want the vaccine.
In the meantime, please continue to abide by all the social distancing and hand hygiene guidance, which will still save lives
For more information about the vaccine, please visit www.nhs.uk
VACCINATION BOOKING
We are currently using an automatic booking system which will allow you to pick your own appointment time. We will text you with an invitation to book your appointment. If you have not received a text message and are in one of our current eligibility cohorts, please contact the surgery to make sure we have your mobile number on record.
Before booking
Please ensure you have not had any other vaccinations within 7 days of your appointment.
Attending your Appointment
- Attend your appointment alone if you are able to.
- Please wear a mask or face shield.
- Please don’t arrive too early, attend as close to your appointment time as possible.
- You will be observed for 15 minutes after the vaccination to ensure there are no adverse reactions.
This is the largest vaccination programme in the history of the NHS and you can really help us to deliver it to those that need it most by doing the following:
- Please don’t contact the NHS to seek a vaccine – we will contact you when it’s the right time
- When we do contact you, please act immediately and make sure you attend your appointments
- Please continue to follow all the guidelines – hand hygiene and social distancing in particular – to control the virus and save lives.
More Information
West Yorkshire & Harrogate Health & Care Partnership website.
This leaflet can assist patients with suspected COVID-19 who have not been admitted to hospital and will be isolating at home.
