COVID-19 Vaccination status

From 17 May 2021, people in England who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can demonstrate their vaccination status for international travel. A full course is currently two doses of any approved vaccine. Vaccine status will be available from: 

• the NHS App which you can download from app stores 
• the NHS website 

It may take more than a week for your identity to be checked and verified so you can use this service.

If you cannot access the online services, and you have had 2 vaccines, you can request a paper letter from the NHS by calling 119. Only call 119 if you are due to travel abroad in the near future and have had your second dose more than 5 working days ago. It may take 7 working days for the letter to arrive.

This practice is not able to provide you with a letter that shows your COVID-19 vaccination status.

When you're planning your travel, check the latest information on demonstrating your COVID-19 status when travelling abroad on the gov.uk website. Make sure there is time to get  proof of your vaccination status before you leave.

COVID-19 Vaccination

**COVID-19 Vaccination Update 16/06/2021**

Following the governments final push to get all people vaccinated as quickly as possible, we have now sent invites to all our patients aged 18+.

To book into our local vaccine site at the English Riviera Centre, where you will be given a Pfizer vaccine, you will need to use the link sent by our practice. If you haven’t received this please give us a call, after 10.30am, and we can check your mobile number on record or book you in manually. If you decide against having the vaccine then please let us know so we can update your record.

We know a lot of younger people feel they may not benefit from the vaccine but research has shown the vaccines:

•significantly reduce your risk of getting seriously ill or dying from COVID-19

•reduce your risk of getting symptoms of COVID-19

•will help reduce your risk of catching and spreading COVID-19

•help protect against new variants

Useful sites for information about the vaccines including the benefits & potential side effects include -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57273875

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/safety-and-side-effects/

All of the GP practices across Torbay have been working collaboratively to deliver this service at the Riviera International Conference Centre for 6 months. We are all extremely grateful for your kind words and letters of support at this time.

Dr Paul Johnson, clinical chair of NHS Devon Clinical Commissions Group said:

“We appreciate that these groups include people who are busy working, but it is definitely worth taking half an hour out of your day to get the protection it affords. Remember, you are not just protecting yourself, you are protecting others when you get the vaccine.”

Please click here for information regarding COVID vaccination for unpaid carers

All patients registered with a GP practice across Torbay who are eligible for the vaccination will be vaccinated at RICC and free parking is available onsite. RICC was chosen due to the strict social distancing measures that need to be in place to protect patients and the special conditions the vaccine needs to be stored in, along with the very strict timescales for the two doses, meaning it can only be achieved on a Torbay-wide level at one location. Here is a short video which has been put together to show you what to expect on the day. Please do not turn up at the centre unless you have been contacted by us with an appointment.

Transport

If you are struggling with transport to RICC, the Torbay Community Helpline have some volunteers that can help. Please contact them direct using the details below.

Aiding the people of Torbay during the COVID-19 Pandemic and beyond, with neighbourly support.

01803 446022 10am-6pm, Mon-Fri, 9:30am-12:30pm Sat

Online form: bit.ly/torbayhelpline

Health and Social Care Staff

All Health and Social Care Workers will be receiving their COVID-19 vaccination at a hospital hub. Your employer will be receiving information on this so please do not contact the practice regarding your vaccinations.

Workforce

Members of staff from all Practices in Torbay are working to deliver the COVID-19 Vaccine to patients at the Riviera Centre. Nurses, GPs, Healthcare Assistants, Admin staff and Managers are all spending time working at the site each day, instead of at their Practice to try and deliver the vaccine to protect our most vulnerable. We do not have any additional staff above and beyond our normal team, many of whom are now working 7 days a week to ensure we offer this service to our patients on top of running our GP practices.

This means that it is harder for us to offer our normal services and you may experience delays in getting through on the phone or seeing your preferred member of staff. Therefore, please do bear with us. As a surgery we remain open and here to help you. Our staff are working harder, working longer hours and are under more pressure than ever before.  Please help us to get through this difficult time together by being patient with us - we are managing this programme on top of the usual high demand at this time of year and we are all working as hard as possible for you so we can get back to a more normal way of life as quickly as possible.

Please continue to adhere to the Hands, Face, Space measures that are helping us limit the transmission of the virus.

For answers to frequently asked questions, click here

For information on what to expect for your vaccination please see link to video

Stay Safe,

The Chilcote Team

COVID-19 NOTICE

Patients will be asked to wear a face covering to enable entry to the surgery unless they are exempt.

For advice regarding face mask exemption cards, or how to make your own face mask, please click here.

If you have had recent contact with someone with COVID-19 OR a new continuous cough OR fever OR loss of/change in smell or taste:

 Please DO NOT ENTER THE SURGERY!

Instead stay at home (self-isolate) for 10 days from the onset of symptoms if you live alone.  If you live with others, and you are the first in the household to have symptoms of coronavirus, then you must stay at home for 10 days, but all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

For anyone else in the household who starts displaying symptoms, they need to stay at home for 10 days from when the symptoms appeared, regardless of what day they are on in the original 14 day isolation period.

If you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, or your condition gets worse, or your symptoms do not get better after 10 days, then use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service. If you do not have internet access, call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.

The NHS website www.nhs.uk provides advice on conditions and illness care, including coronavirus advice. If you are isolating because of coronavirus and require a Fit note for your employer you should not contact the GP surgery but can obtain a note online at 111.nhs.uk/isolation-note . For children under 5, please consider downloading the Handi (H A N D I) Paediatric App for advice on home assessment and management of illnesses such as diarrhoea and vomiting, high temperature, chestiness, newborn problems and tummy pain.

Finally, we would like to express our very best wishes to everyone at this difficult time. Please follow up to date coronavirus advice regarding how to reduce the risk to yourself and others, available on the www.nhs.uk website​.

For information regarding the Torbay Community Coronavirus Helpline please click here.