We are currently planning our 2024-25 Flu Vaccination Programme. The NHS has recently announced that this years flu vaccinations will start on Thursday 3rd October for all eligible groups.

The flu season typically peaks in January so vaccinating adults in October will mean those at greatest risk will be better protected in the coldest months when viruses circulate more as people gather indoors.

We will be running vaccination clinics at Essex Lodge Surgery starting on 3rd October 2024 for all groups.

These clinics are not available for booking at present. Please wait until you are contacted by the practice.

All eligible patients will receive an invitation by text in early September to book into our flu clinics. For those patients who cannot receive a text message, we will be ringing to offer you an appointment.

Who is eligible for the flu vaccination?

Groups eligible for influenza vaccinations are based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The programme aims to provide direct protection to those who are at higher risk of influenza associated morbidity and mortality and to reduce transmission to all age groups through the vaccination of children.

The below groups will be eligible for flu vaccine this year:

• All adults aged 65 years and over
• Those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups, such as the below groups:
  • respiratory conditions, such as asthma (needing a steroid inhaler or tablets), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and bronchitis.
  • diabetes
  • heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease or heart failure
  • being very overweight – a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above
  • chronic kidney disease
  • liver disease, such as hepatitis
  • some neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), or cerebral palsy
  • a learning disability
  • problems with your spleen like sickle cell disease, or if you’ve had your spleen removed
  • a weakened immune system as a result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or taking medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
• Pregnant women
• All children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2024
• All primary school-aged children and all secondary school-aged children up to Year 11 (though this will usually be arranged by the child’s school)
• Those in long stay residential care homes
• Carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• Frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants

What can I expect when I attend my appointment:

• Please arrive as close to your appointment time as possible to reduce queues
• Please do not attend with another person unless they are a carer
• Please wear appropriate clothing so that you are ready for your injection
• Please be aware that our site will have limited parking due to the number of patients attending these clinics

How to protect yourself by having the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine

Please click here to see NHS patient information leaflet for more information

What is RSV?
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 and 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.

How do you catch RSV?

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.

Who should have the new RSV vaccination?

• Everyone turning 75 years old on or after the 1 September 2024 will be offered a single dose of RSV vaccine. This is because older adults are more at risk of serious complications from RSV. You can still get the vaccine up to the day before you turn 80
• For the first year of the programme, the vaccine will also be offered to those who are already aged 75 to 79 years on 1 September 2024 as part of a catch up programme

Do I need to have the vaccine every year?

No, a single dose is expected to give you good protection for a few year. In the clinical studies, RSV vaccine provided good protection for at least 2 years, and is expected to last longer.

Can I have the RSV vaccine at the same time as my COVID-19 or flu vaccine?

No, RSV isn’t normally arranged to be given at the same appointment as your COVID-19 or flu vaccines.

What should I do now?

We will be inviting all eligible patients to book an appointment with a nurse shortly.

Measles is circulating, it is serious, very infectious and can cause complications especially for those with a weakened immune system, babies under one year and pregnant women.

Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) are highly infectious conditions that can easily spread between unvaccinated people. Getting vaccinated is important, as these conditions can also lead to serious problems including meningitis, hearing loss and problems during pregnancy.

You need two doses of the MMR vaccine to get the best protection.

If your child is due to have had 2 doses of MMR but has not yet received them, no matter what age they are, you should contact the GP Surgery to get them vaccinated as soon as possible. If you can’t remember if your child has had any, 1 or 2 doses of MMR vaccine, check his or her personal health record (the Red Book). If this doesn’t help, contact the GP Surgery.

Think Measles – It’s not just a kids’ problem

Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.

Symptoms of measles include:

• high temperature
• rash – sometimes starting around the ears
• red, sore, watery eyes
• cough
• aching and feeling unwell

For more information on measles (including symptoms and images) and the MMR vaccine, please visit the NHS website.

If you think you’ve got measles – Call ahead

Remember, if it could be measles – they need to be in area where they cannot pass the infection to vulnerable patients such as the immunocompromised and pregnant women.

If it could be measles, don’t go to the surgery, walk-in centre or A&E. Stay at home and phone your GP or NHS 111 for advice – Call ahead, that way if you do have measles, you won’t pass it on to others.

If you are in crisis, these are the services to contact in Newham:

You can call the 24-hour crisis service on 0800 073 0066.

Please also see your General Practitioner (GP) to discuss what could help and support you at the moment.

If you are in education at school or college, you may be able to see a counsellor there.

The following organisations do offer counselling and support to young people. Please find a list of organisations to whom you can refer yourself below:

Young Minds

https://youngminds.org.uk/

Supporting young people get mental health support and build resilience.  It also offers a parent helpline and support for parents of young people—mainly self-help on the website.

The Wish Centre – Covers the London area.

Tel: 020 8416 7277

Email: [email protected] 

Provides support for young people up to the age of 25; young people who self-harm.  The Wïsh Centre is a London based charity that prevents self-harm, abuse and exploitation of young people.  We are a community-based model that provides open-ended therapy and counselling in schools and at our Centre, plus peer support groups, out of hours help, and advice and training.  The Wish Centre is a free service for youth ages 10-25 years.

THE PRINCES TRUST – London area

https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/help-for-young-people

For confidence building and employment support.

Newham – NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

Newham – York House, 411 Barking Road, Plaistow, London E13 8AL.  

Phone: 020 8430 9000

Opening hours 9.00 am-5.00 pm.

Referrals can be made through your GP, school, social services and other agencies.  It is also possible to make “Self-Referral’s” to our services, by Parents, Carers and Young People –

Call us on 0208 430 9000 and ask to self-refer.

HEADSTART

Newham Dockside, Building 1000, 1000 Dockside Road, London, E16 2QU. Email: [email protected];

Tel: 020 3373 8600 

https://www.headstartnewham.co.uk/what-is-headstart/

Life throws a lot at young people, and sometimes everyone struggles to overcome problems and challenges.  And that’s okay.  HeadStart is for 10-16-year-olds living in Newham who would benefit from additional support to improve their mental health.

KOOTH

https://www.kooth.com

Kooth offers emotional and mental health support for children and young people aged between 11 and 24 years and is available until  10 pm every day. Kooth PLC is a digital mental health and well-being company that provides a welcoming space for digital mental health care, open to all.

HOPELineUK

Call them on 0800 068 4141, text them on 07786 209 697, or email [email protected]. Find more information at www.papyrus-uk.org.

A confidential support service for young people having thoughts of suicide.

Family Lives

Call 0808 800 2222 for information and advice on any aspect of parenting and family life, including bullying.

Mermaids

Call 0344 334 0550 for emotional support for transgender and gender diverse young people and their families/friends. Visit www.mermaidsuk.org.uk

B-eat

Call 0808 801 0711 or visit www.b-eat.co.uk for help to beat eating disorders.

You can also call these national helplines:

ChildLine

Call 0800 1111 to talk to a counsellor for free anytime.  You can also log in for a 1-2-1 chat or email (www.childline.org.uk/get-support)

Young Minds Crisis Messenger

Text “YM” to 85258.  A free crisis messenger service support across the UK.  If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and need help, you can text YM at 85258.

Samaritans Freephone

116 123 (24-hour crisis line for people contemplating harming themselves)

Saneline

0300 304 7000 4:30 pm – 10:30 pm every day (Practical information, crisis care and emotional support).

NHS North East London – TNW MSK app is now available to all patients. It’s a FREE, easy-to-use tool helping you to self-manage your muscle, bone, and joint (MSK) injuries and conditions.

• No need to wait for an appointment
• Instant access to a personalised plan
• Safe and effective

What is getUBetter?
getUBetter is an app helping you self-manage at home, work, and on the move.
It can be accessed on a Smartphone or via the Web. It covers a range of MSK injuries and condition, like back pain and ankle pain, and is designed to help you recover, understand when and where to seek help, and prevent further injuries.

Who is getUBetter for?

• Anyone over 18
• Anyone who’s been advised or chose to self-manage
• Anyone waiting for treatment

What will I get?

• A personalised recovery plan
• Step-by-step guidance
• Exercises based on your condition
• Advice to seek help, if needed.
• Referral to your local healthcare providers, treatments, and services, if needed.

How do I download and use getUBetter?

• Follow this link to access your local health service
• With the same email, create an account on the app
• Follow the instructions on the app, get your recovery plan and get better!

Most routine vaccinations that will protect your child from diseases including measles, mumps,
diphtheria, hepatitis B, polio, tetanus and whooping cough are given by your GP before they start
school. However, you can catch up at any time if your child has missed vaccinations and you can
easily check if you aren’t sure.

You can search ‘NHS child vaccines’ online or visit nhs.uk/child-vaccines to see which vaccinations
are given when. You can check your child’s health record (red book) or contact your GP to see if
they are up to date.

Your GP can also arrange for you to catch up with vaccinations. If your child had first vaccinations
abroad it is important you still have routine vaccinations here, and your GP can help arrange that.
If you’re not registered with a GP, you can register online (anyone can register and you don’t need
ID or proof of address).

Information about why vaccines are safe and really important is here:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/why-vaccination-is-safe-and-important/

If you have a recent problem with your eyes – such as sore eyes, red eyes
or visual disturbance – you can be assessed and treated by our local Minor Eye Conditions Service.

This is a free NHS service available from a number of local opticians to all patients registered with a Newham GP and over 10 years of age.

What is a Minor Eye Conditions Service (MECS)?

Conditions that can be seen under the service include:
● Red eye or eyelids
● Dry eye, or gritty and uncomfortable eyes
● Irritation and inflammation of the eye
● Significant recent sticky discharge from the eye or watery eye
● Recently occurring flashes or floaters
● Ingrowing eyelashes
● Recent and sudden loss of vision
● Foreign body in the eye

Please note, this is not a sight test

Also, if you have a major eye condition that is being regularly monitored by your optometrist or hospital eye service, this will not be covered by this service; for example, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma.

Where should I go?

An appointment will normally be required, so telephone first. Appointments are available during normal working hours and some practices offer appointment at weekends.

How do I book an appointment with the service?

To make an appointment, call one of the opticians listed above. You will be asked some questions about your symptoms in order to assess how quickly you need to be seen by the service, which will be within 24 hours in urgent cases and within a few days for routine appointments.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE

CONSULT WITH YOUR GP ON-LINE

You can get Advice or Treatment within 2 – 4 working days depending on the clinical priority of your submission.

We have now gone live with our new online consultation service-Patient Triage. This is a great way for you to contact our practice for non-urgent medical or admin requests.

It is very simple to fill out so please do give it a go if you need to contact us. Please try to give as much specific and concise information as possible. We really think it is easier for most people than waiting on hold to speak to a
receptionist. If you do not have access to the internet or find it difficult to use a computer or smartphone you can call reception instead.

Getting Started is Easy!

Your submission will be reviewed by a member of our clinical team who will assess the urgency of your condition / request. Depending on the clinical priority of your submission, we aim to contact you within 2 – 4 working days.

If a Doctor needs to contact you, the Doctor will attempt to call you twice from a number which may show as WITHHELD. If there is no response then the case will be closed. You will need to resubmit a new form.

ONLINE SYSTEMS ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR EMERGENCIES – IN AN EMERGENCY PLEASE CALL 999 OR 111 FOR AN URGENT MEDICAL PROBLEM.

Knowing your best route to urgent care can help you find the treatment you need faster.

You should only attend A&E if you need immediate care for something that is very serious or life-threatening.

Your GP surgery should usually be the first place you contact if you have particular concern about your health. Appointments are available out of hours, in the evenings, on weekends and bank holidays.

If you feel unwell or have a minor injury, your local pharmacy can offer advice and some medicines. This can help you treat your condition yourself at home. 

If you have a more serious illness, you should visit your GP practice website or NHS 111 online for advice. If you cannot access the internet, call 111 or your GP practice directly.

A 999 call should only be used for life-threatening emergencies or serious injuries.

https://northeastlondon.icb.nhs.uk/urgentcare