Current News and Information


Current issues:

New Items:

Text Messaging Appointment Reminders

We have recently introduced a new appointment reminder service which will send an appointment reminder via a text message to patients who have pre-booked appointments more than 24 hours in advance.  We now need  to record up-to-date mobile phone numbers for patients to help us with this, so please check with the receptionist next time you come to the surgery that we have your correct contact details on our system.  We hope that this will help to reduce the number of missed appointments 

Swine Flu

We still have Swine Flu Vaccinations at the surgery. If you are a patient in any of the risk groups (as listed for seasonal flu) and haven't yet had your vaccination - please contact the surgery to make an appointment to have one.  We are now able to offer swine flu vaccinations to children aged between 6 months and 5 years of age (see home page for more details).

In addition to the flu risk groups, we are now able to vaccinate children between the age of 6 months and 5 years and are in the process of writing out to offer those patients the opportunity to have the vaccination.  Please contact the surgery to make an appointment if your child is within the age group and you would like them to have it.  Parental consent will be required - if you are not able to accompany your child yourself, then please ensure that you give written consent for this to be done to the person who is bringing them.

Medical conditions putting you at higher risk...

At-risk groups

You should have a flu jab if you:

  • are aged 65 or over,
  • have a serious medical condition (see box),
  • live in a residential or nursing home,
  • are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fell ill,
  • are a healthcare or social care professional directly involved in patient care, or
  • work with poultry (see below).

The seasonal flu jab is offered free of charge to anyone over the age of six months with the following medical conditions:

  • chronic (long-term) respiratory disease, such as severe asthma, COPD or bronchitis,
  • chronic heart disease, such as heart failure,
  • chronic kidney disease,
  • chronic liver disease,
  • chronic neurological disease, such as Parkinson's disease or motor neurone disease,
  • diabetes, or
  • a weakened immune system due to disease (such as HIV/AIDS) or treatment (such as cancer treatment.

Poultry workers

If you work in close contact with poultry, you are entitled to a free seasonal flu vaccination. This includes those who:

  • work in areas where poultry are kept for rearing or egg production,
  • handle or catch live poultry,
  • sort eggs in poultry houses, or
  • slaughter or clean poultry.

Saturday Morning Appointments

We are delighted to be able to offer pre-booked routine appointments with a doctor on Saturday Mornings at present.

We are working within the Department of Health framework for extended hours and so we are not able to provide nurse appointments or investigations.  A chaperone will not be available, so some examinations will not be able to be performed.

Care for urgent healthcare is still provided over the weekend by the Out-of-Hours Service.  Saturday morning appointments are only pre-bookable and for routine medical care.