CONTINUED REQUIREMENT FOR FACEMASKS TO ENTER COLINTON SURGERY (28/4/22)
Despite the cessation of mandatory face masks in public areas face masks are still required to attend healthcare buildings. This is because we are visited by many patients for whom covid 19 can still have a significant impact due to their clinical conditions. For the same reason there will continue to be social distancing in the waiting room until further notice.
WE ARE NO LONGER UNDERTAKING TRAVEL VACCINATIONS (1/4/22)
As part of a redesign of General Practice to deal with the unprecedented current demand, all GP practices have now ceased undertaking travel vaccinations and associated travel services. If you require travel vaccinations I suggested that you contact the specialist NHS Lothian travel service, for information click Here.
PLEASE ARRANGE YOUR GP TELEPHONE APPOINTMENT FOR A DAY IN WHICH YOU CAN COME INTO THE SURGERY IF REQUIRED.
All GP consultations start with a telephone consultation. If the GP feels that a Face to Face appointment is required to deal with the issue they will invite you in on the same day as your telephone appointment. So please arrange your appointment for a day in which you are able to come in to the surgery, unless you are certain that only a phone call is required. Thank you.
COVID VACCINE CERTIFICATE MEDICAL EXEMPTION CERTIFICATES (28/10/21)
GPs and their teams cannot issue vaccination exemption certificates. Further information on the vaccination exemption certificates scheme, including information on safe
vaccination and routes to obtain an exemption can be found on the Scottish Government and NHS Inform websites. Alternatively you can phone the free NHS Covid
helpline on: 0808 196 8565
What about COVID vaccines?
A COVID booster dose will be offered to:
- those living in residential care homes for older adults
- frontline health and social care workers
- all adults aged 50 years or over
- adults aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health
- conditions that put them at higher risk of severe coronavirus
- adult carers (aged 16 or over)
- household contacts (aged 16 or over) of immunosuppressed individuals.
If you are eligible, you will either be sent an appointment letter, or be invited to make an appointment using an online portal. The booster dose can be offered any time at least 6 months after your second dose. This means that you may get your COVID booster at the same time as your flu vaccine, but this is not guaranteed.
Consideration for our staff (31/8/21)
Our staff are working tirelessly to met an incredibly high demand and we are still required to take precautions to protect our vulnerable patients against coronavirus. Please be considerate and abuse will not be tolerated. Thank you.
Reductions in Covid-19 restrictions, but not in healthcare settings (updated 31/8/21)
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the removal of covid-19 restrictions in 'most areas' from 9/8/21. However, In healthcare settings there are still special concerns relating to the significant number of very ill and immuno compromised patients who visit the surgery and other particular issues. There has not yet been any reduction in the 2m distancing rule or other covid-19 restrictions in healthcare settings.
We do listen to feedback and concerns over our current appointments system. We will be making adjustments to our system in the future to adjust to the changing situation, however these need careful consideration to make sure we get it right, as we must protect the most vulnerable in our community. We cannot yet return to full face to face appointments with our GPs whilst we have to keep numbers of patients in our waiting room low - we don't feel it is yet appropriate to have the waiting room as full as it was pre covid at this stage). This will require a reduction in healthcare covid 19 precautions. Please bear with us whilst we plan this carefully. Thank you.
LAUNCH OF THE COVID-19 VACCINE STATUS SCHEME (28/5/21)
This new service to allow patients travelling abroad to access their record of Covid-19 vaccination status themselves, by logging on to NHS Inform.scot/covid19status. This allows you to view your Covid-19 vaccination status.
For those patients without website access a letter of your Covid-19 vaccine status can be requested in the post via a Freephone Covid Status Helpline. 0808 196 8565.
Note: If you lose or forgot your username or password, you can create a new one by selecting 'forgot username' or 'forgot password' options.
If you are intending to travel abroad you should:
- check the entry requirements for your destination country on the UK foreign travel advice pages
- get up-to-date information from the website of your destination country
- check the re-entry requirements for your return to Scotland
- only request a vaccination record if it is absolutely required and you are due to travel in the next 21 days
SURGERY CLOSED FOR STAFF TRAINING 1245 - 1315
We now close our doors and do not accept routine phone calls 1245 - 1315 every Tuesday to allow time for staff training. If you have an emergency select option 1, otherwise please phone back after 1315. We apologise for any inconvenience, but this is the only time the practice now has to work together uninterrupted to train and update our processes. Thank you for your understanding.
DO NOT ATTEND THE PRACTICE IF YOU ARE SUFFERING SYMPTOMS CONSISTENT WITH COVID-19
For CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION click here
For FLU VACCINATIONS click here
WEAR FACE COVERINGS IF ATTENDING THE PRACTICE.
It is very strongly recommended that a mask is worn when entering the surgery for your appointment. Thank you.
NEW NHS EAR IRRIGATION SERVICE (from 30/11/20)
Colinton Surgery suspended its' Ear Irrigation Service throughout the covid pandemic due to the close contact covid risk of this procedure and a 50 % reduction in nurse capacity due to infection control and social distancing constraints. We will not be resuming the service here, but the NHS Community Treatment and Assessment Centre (CTAC) at Sighthill has just announced that it now has the capacity to resume this service.
Patients can now self refer for this service by either phoning the CTAC administration line on 0131-537-7205 or emailing CTAC.Allermuir@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk. In both cases you will need to state your Name, DOB, Address and that you are registered at Colinton Surgery. You will then receive an appointment by post. There may be a significant waiting list at the CTAC, but treatment with oil for 2 weeks is still recommended as the initial non intervention treatment and this should alleviate the symptoms. There remains the option to obtain ear irrigation treatment privately.
Using text messages to contact you is increasingly important and useful to the way in which we are now working. If you haven't yet signed up to our text messaging service, please see the section on our website (on the right hand side of this text) and apply. You will be asked for your permission for text messages during most phone calls to the surgery.
Our selected charity for 2020 is the Ripple Retreat which is a locally run charity which supports a respite in Stirlingshire for the families of teenage cancer patients. Details are at www.Itsgood2give.co.uk