Our Clinics & Services.
Keeping you healthy, at every stage of life.
RSV Vaccine
(Respiratory Syncytial Virus)
RSV is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs. RSV infection often causes symptoms similar to a cold, including:
cough
sore throat
sneezing
a runny or blocked nose
It can also make you become wheezy or short of breath and lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening conditions. There is no specific treatment, and most infections will get better by themselves. Every year thousands of older adults need hospital care for RSV, and some of them will die. RSV can be more severe in people with medical conditions such as heart or lung disease or a weakened immune system.
RSV infection is common in young children but is most serious for small babies and for older people.
Eligibility
All adults turning 75 years old on or after 1 September 2024 will be offered a single dose of the RSV vaccine on or after their 75th birthday.
In line with JCVI guidance, individuals will remain eligible until the day before their 80th birthday, with the exception of people who turn 80 in the first year who have until 31 August 2025 to get vaccinated.
Age 75: Born after 1st September 1949 who have had their 75th birthday but are not yet 80.
Age 75-79 catch up cohort: Individuals with a date of birth from 1 September 1945 to 31 August 1949 are eligible until and including the day before their 80th birthday.
Age 80: patients who are 79 in August 2024 who may turn 80 before being offered the vaccine = Born between 02.09.1944 and 31.08.45 are eligible up until 31st August 2025.
Pregnant Women
All women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant on 1 September 2024, should be offered a single dose of the RSV vaccine by their midwife. After that, pregnant women will become eligible as they reach 28 weeks gestation and remain eligible up to birth.
How RSV is spread
RSV infections can occur all year round, but cases peak every winter.
RSV can spread through coughs and sneezes. You can help to prevent the spread of the virus by covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze (ideally with a tissue, or else into the bend of your elbow), and you can wash your hands frequently to reduce the risk of picking up the virus. Even with these measures it can be difficult to avoid RSV infection.
The best way to protect yourself is to have the vaccine.
How the RSV vaccine works
Almost all older adults will have had several RSV infections during their life. A single dose of vaccine will help to boost protection as you reach an age group at highest risk of serious RSV infection. Unlike the flu vaccine you do not need to have the RSV vaccine every year.
Flu and COVID-19 vaccines.
RSV is not normally given at the same appointment as your COVID-19 or flu vaccines.
In certain clinical circumstances, your doctor or nurse can safely offer them at the same time.
Those who should not have the RSV vaccine.
Almost everybody can have the vaccine but tell the doctor or nurse if you have ever had a serious allergy to a vaccine, or any of the ingredients.
If you have a minor illness such as a cold you can receive the vaccine, but if you are very unwell or have a fever, the doctor or nurse may advise you to wait until you are better.
The protection offered by the RSV vaccine
The vaccine has been shown to reduce the chance of you suffering from RSV disease. As with all medicines, no vaccine is completely effective, and some people may still get RSV despite having a vaccination. If you do get RSV, it should be less severe.
How long the RSV vaccine will protect you for
In the clinical studies, RSV vaccine provided good protection for at least 2 years and is expected to last longer.
Our Clinics & Services.
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Learning Disability Health Checks
We’re able to undertake health checks to find out if your child has any learning disabilities.
For children with learning disabilities, we’re able to monitor their progress and help to provide the correct care for their needs.
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Diabetic Clinic
The Surgery will contact each patient who requires a review annually, usually during their birth month. All chronic disease appointments are nurse-led by our Health Promotion Team.
We also suggest using MapMyDiabetes for a comprehensive look into self-management of your condition. You can find out more about this service by clicking here.
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Respiratory Clinic
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Contraceptive Services (Family Planning)
We offer coil and implant fittings, removals and changes to patients in a confidential setting with a female nurse. We also give comprehensive advice on family planning and all methods of contraception, to help you make the right choice for you.
For more information in regards to coils, please click here.
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Travel Advice & Vaccinations
Travel advice, and information regarding vaccines that are required to travel to certain areas, can all be found here.
You can download our travel form below and return via email or drop them in to us. Please note we require a minimum of 8 weeks to process your form and vaccinate before you travel. If you are travelling sooner please contact your local travel vaccination centre.
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Minor Surgery
Minor surgery procedures, such as removal of infected toenails or removal or warts and stitches, are available by appointment at the Surgery.
Choosing to have these minor surgeries carried out by your doctor means you can avoid long hospital waiting lists.
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Disease Management and Health Promotion
The aim of this service is to identify risk factors at an early stage and prevent them from causing ill health. We will ask about smoking and drinking habits, measure your blood pressure and also check your weight from time to time. This is very important, especially in people with a family history of illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes or stroke.
Other Local Services.
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Social Prescribing Service
We provide assistance to patients with issues that cannot be solved by a medical professional, such as stress caused by money worries, loneliness or unemployment.
If you’d like to find out more information, please click here.
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Physiotherapy Self-Referral
You can now visit the Worcestershire physiotherapy self-help website at www.hacw.nhs.uk/movetoimprove.
Non-NHS Services.
We are happy to undertake, by appointment, medical examinations and reports for insurance companies. We can also provide specific reports for such things as fitness to travel and sporting activity, and will complete other medical reports for example for holiday cancellation and driving requirements.
This work is outside the NHS system and a charge will be made.
Please check the charge when booking your appointment or handing in your form. Get in touch by visiting the Surgery or by phone to check pricing.
Housing/Benefit Letters
Whilst we are committed to supporting our patients where possible, any requests for letters for benefits, council or any other third parties, we will only complete with a formal request from the third party.
Please note all requests from the third party will require the patients formal consent.
We will only complete factual responses. We are not allowed to give an opinion. If in doubt we will refuse to complete the request and may issue a copy of medical records instead with your consent.
Be aware we charge for any requests, and these can take up to 28 days.
HOUSING APPLICATIONS
We do not provide letters for housing, so please do not request these. Whilst we appreciate that housing problems can be stressful, this is a matter for the council housing office. If the council requires additional medical information, they will send a specific form to the GP surgery. You will need to provide your written consent for this. This also avoids an unnecessary cost to the patient.
If you are intending to apply for a council home for health reasons, YOU DO NOT NEED A DOCTOR’S LETTER.
The Council will write, in confidence, to your doctor if further information is required.
GPs receive frequent requests for medical letters and reports in support of housing applications from a variety of sources – the local authority, housing associations, directly from patients and from patients via Citizens Advice Bureaux. The arrangements for seeking GP reports and for payment vary from local authority area to local authority area, and even when clearly agreed are often not implemented by local authority staff. However all requests should come via the Housing Association and not the patient.
Information in support an application based on health grounds should be supplied by the applicant using the appropriate form provided by the Housing Department. This should not require any input from the GP/practice.
Only if additional information is required, should the Housing Department Medical Officer obtain it from the applicant’s doctor, preferably using a standard form, provided the patient has given written consent. The Medical Officer should seek information which is only available to the GP, for example:
the diagnosis;
severity of the illness;
medication