Message from the Practice Manager

The meteorological autumn starts on September 1st and ends on November 30th, while astronomical autumn begins with the autumnal equinox, which falls on September 22nd, 2025, and here in practice this autumn is shaping up to be a busy one.

We face new core hours online consultation rules from the 1 of October which we can confidently report has been ongoing for the last 12 months via the Patch’s app available to all patients, and the new NHS Patient Charter which outlines expectations between patients and staff and is available on our website. The 10 year health plan for England has been announced and we await more information from the Government on how this will look for General practice, the main priorities being smarter prevention using population health data to close screening gaps, reduce admissions, manage long term conditions, and align continuity of care with patient needs. In other news we have organised our Winter Flu and Covid clinics, Saturday the 4 October from 8am to 4pm and Tuesday the 14 of October in the morning at Queensway Medical Centre, to note the Government have changed the Covid rules to Over 75’s and under 75 who are immunocompromised both vaccines will be available in all clinics.

Kind Regards, Jenny

Flu Clinic

Save the date!

Flu Clinics 2025: 4th October held at Queensway Medical Centre. Eligible patients will receive a text to book in to the clinic via a self-booking link.

Who should have the flu vaccine?

The flu vaccine is recommended for people at higher risk of getting seriously ill from flu. You are eligible for a free vaccine if you:

• are aged 65 or over
• have certain long-term health conditions
• are pregnant
• live in a care home
• are the main carer for an older or disabled person, or receive a carer's allowance
• live with someone who has a weakened immune system
• Front line health and social care workers can also get a flu vaccine through their employer.