8 January 2021

Dear Patients

The Partners and Staff at The Glebe Surgery would like to wish you a Happy New Year.
It has been exciting times at the surgery.

The Glebe Surgery is proud to have been selected as a Wave 1 – Covid-19 vaccination site and we have been vaccinating patients registered with The Glebe Surgery, Steyning Medical Centre, Billingshurst Surgery and Henfield Medical Centre since just before Christmas. We have administered nearly 2000 vaccines to date.

Following government guidelines, we are vaccinating in order of set priorities.

This priority list is as follows:

1. Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
2. All those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers
3. All those 75 years of age and over
4. All those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
5. All those 65 years of age and over
6. All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions, which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality
7. All those 60 years of age and over
8. All those 55 years of age and over
9. All those 50 years of age and over

 
Currently we are vaccinating those in Groups 1 and 2.

Please DO NOT call the surgery to book or enquire about vaccinations – we will contact you all in turn.

Supply of vaccine has been variable and sporadic. We are hoping to receive a minimum of 1000 vaccines a week. We want this to increase significantly (even to 3,000 – 4,000 a week as supply chains and communication improves in the coming weeks).

To put things in context, there are over 3,500 patients over 80 years old in the area we are vaccinating. This is a massive but vital task as I am sure you all agree. It is likely that vaccinating at scale will need to continue throughout the next 6 months.

Reconstituting the vaccines is extremely delicate and difficult work and the Partners are very grateful to the superb team effort of our administrative staff, healthcare assistants, nurses, pharmacists, managers and GPs. Many retired GPs and nurses have helped us. Our Patient Participation Group volunteers, have been outstanding.

Despite the disruption of vaccinating people, we want to reassure our patients, we are still open and providing our normal patient care. If you need advice, you MUST make contact by telephone, e-consult or email, as usual.

We want to ensure you all stay safe during the current COVID-19 enforced lock down. We encourage you to follow the current government guidelines, as we are at the surgery. In order to minimise risks to patients and staff, we insist on hand hygiene, wearing of masks and checking temperatures when you visit. Please ensure you announce yourself to staff by the intercom before attempting to enter the building. We aim to deal with most medical problems without the need to see you face to face, but please be reassured, if you need to be seen or have tests, this will happen.

We hope you all share The Glebe Surgery’s enthusiasm for this task. We value your support, which has always been wonderful and has allowed attempting the task of vaccinating our nation.

Best Wishes.

Keir Newsom

Dr Keir Newsom MBBS
The Glebe Surgery
The Glebe
Storrington
West Sussex
RH20 4FR
01903 742942

glebesurgerystorrington.nhs.uk