UPCOMING PRACTICE CLOSURES: Please note, the practice will be closed FROM 1pm on Wednesday 25th May 2022 for essential staff training. The practice will also be closed for the Public Holiday (Platinum Jubilee) on Friday 3rd May 2022. Please ensure you order any required medications in plenty of time as this Public Holiday may also impact local pharmacies.  

TRAVEL VACCINATIONS: as per the Scottish Government, from 1 April 2022 travel vaccinations will be moving away from General Practice and be delivered and managed by clinics in the community instead. Patients should refer in the first instance to: www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk. Those at risk can then self-refer to the NHS Lothian travel clinic at the Western General Hospital at one of the many private, charity, or NHS travel clinics in Lothian which can be found here: https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/nhs-services/doctors/travel-health-and-vaccinations. Additional clinics are also due to be set up across the Lothians. Advice on what vaccinations people may need when travelling to specific destinations, as well as preventative advice, is available on the fit for travel website. The fit for travel website will also detail which vaccinations incur a fee and which vaccinations are covered under the NHS. Patients can phone the travel clinic on 0131 537 2823 to make an appointment. 

VACCINATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY: as per the Scottish Government, from 1 April 2022, over 99% of vaccinations will be moving away from General Practice and will instead be delivered by community teams run by individual health boards instead. To preserve patient safety and continuity, all vaccine schedules initiated in General Practice will be completed by General Practice e.g., second dose Shingrix and the remaining re-vaccinations following stem cell transplant.

This change will include the following: travel health and travel vaccines, pneumococcal vaccine for aged 65 and over, at risk adults and at risk children, Shingles vaccine, vaccines for students, vaccinations for children and school pupils and unscheduled vaccinations (such as MMR, HepA and HepB), post stem cell transplant (provided their vaccination course was not started by General Practice), post-exposure vaccines and vaccines for those at risk (including occupational risk).

COMMUNITY VACCINATIONS: REFERRAL PATHWAY AND CONTACT DETAILS: the following document explains, in further detail, the vaccination criteria for patients for each vaccine type, how referrals can be made for the vaccination appointment and the contact details for patients to use in order to book appointments. 

Community Vaccinations: Referral Pathway and Contact Details

THE FORENSIC MEDICAL SERVICES (VICTIMS OF SEXUAL OFFENCES) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2021 (FMS ACT):  came into force on 1 April 2022. it places a statutory duty on health boards to provide forensic medical services for victims of sexual offences. The Act establishes a legal framework for consistent access to "self-referral", where a victim can access healthcare and request a Forensic Medical examination (FME) without first having to make a report to the police. Self-referral means that people don't need to be referred by a GP or other Healthcare Professional to the Sexual Assault Response Co-ordination Service (SARCS).  In addition, and as part of a person-centered approach, individuals will be able to request the sex of the examiner involved in their care. This service is confidential and patients can self-refer via NHS24 by calling 111, information on the service can be found at: www.nhsinform.scot/sarcs A SARCS will be available in each health board to address people's immediate healthcare needs and if appropriate, access to an FME, which could gather forensic evidence to assist police in confirming the identity of the individual(s) who carried out the assault. Any evidence gathered through the examination will be stored by the SARCS for 26 months to allow victims time to report the assault to police at a later date if they wish. 

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FREE WELLBEING SESSIONS AT CORSTORPHINE DYNAMO FOOTBALL CLUB: Learn practical techniques to help you manage your mental health and wellbeing. WHERE: Corstorphine Dynamo F.C, Glasgow Road, EH12 8LJ. WHEN: April 13: 19:15-20:45pm, April 26: 12:30-14:00pm, April 27 19:15-20:45pm. Session 1: Relaxing Breathing Techniques, Session 1: Take back control with Mindfulness Practices and Session 3: Creating Healthy Personal Boundaries. For more information and to register please email: edinburgh@health-in-mind.org.uk or call on 0131 225 8508 (ask for Anna or Aynsley) 

SPRING COVID VACCINATION BOOSTERS FOR EXTREMELY HIGH-RISK GROUPS: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advise a spring dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for adults aged 75 and over, residents in care homes for older adults and individuals aged 12 and over who have a weakened immune system. the spring booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will usually be offered around 6 months (and not before 3 months) after your last dose. NHS Scotland will contact eligible patients directly to arrange appointments, please wait to be contacted. 

NEW SERVICES- NOT AT THE PRACTICE: Ear syringing and ear checks are now done at the Sighthill Community Treatment Centre and you can contact them directly for this service by calling 0131 537 7005. The telephone line is automated and you should listen to the message and leave the requested details. You will then get the next available appointment booked and be sent an appointment letter in the post. To amend or cancel an appointment, please call 0131 537 7205. 

RESTRICTED SERVICES: The majority of services are now back up and running but there are several services which continue to be restricted. this is an ever-changing situation so please be aware of this when discussing with reception staff. Travel vaccinations are suspended for the foreseeable future. Please contact the WGH Travel Clinic on 0131 537 2823 or a private travel clinic for further advice. HGV medical examinations have been suspended for the foreseeable future, however, the Government has announced that drivers who require an HGV examination can apply to have their license extended.  

ORGAN DONATION: You have a choice about organ or tissue donation after your death. to find out more about why it is important to take the time to make your donation decision and record it, please visit www.organdonationscotland.org 

ROWLANDS PHARMACY UPDATE: Rowlands have asked us to note their telephone prescription ordering protocol as follows: they will accept prescription requests via telephone from housebound or elderly patients only between 09:00-11:00. All other requests must be made either via our website or by dropping your request form off to the pharmacy or ourselves. Thank you. 

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GP PRACTICES CANNOT ISSUE COVID VACCINATION EXEMPTION CERTIFICATES: Please visit www.nhsinform.scot or call 0808 196 8565 for more information. 

HOW TO: ORDER REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS, CANCEL APPOINTMENTS, UPDATE CONTACT DETAILS OR COMPLETE A SURVEY. You can access each of these services by going on our 'Online Services' tab and clicking on the relevant link. 

NOT SCOTLAND - NHS DIGITAL DATA SHARING OPT OUT: We would like to reassure our patients that the proposed extraction of GP data by NHS digital does NOT include any patients registered with this practice or in NHS Scotland. NHS Digital provide services in England so are unable to access any data held in Scotland. You are therefore not required to opt out as your data is already safe. We take patient confidentiality extremely seriously and safeguards are in place to protect this, including when data is used for research. 

WELFARE RIGHTS OFFICER: Should you require any welfare rights advice, please call the Granton Information Centre office on 0131 551 2459 or 0131 552 0458. They are not seeing patients face to face but aim to do as much work as possible over the phone. If you are a new client you will be sent a mandate in the post which you will need to complete, sign and return to them directly before they will be able to do the phone appointment with you. They will give you all the information you require. 

URINE SAMPLES: Please only hand in a urine sample if this has been requested by a GP/Nurse. If you have symptoms of a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection), this should be discussed with a Pharmacist or GP who will then ask for a sample if required. Any sample not specifically requested or that does not have full information including name and date of birth will be discarded. 

WHO IS FLORENCE? Do you have high blood pressure? FLORENCE has been designed to enable patients to increase their involvement in the management of their treatment, condition or lifestyle. Clinical staff use Florence to collect blood pressure readings or symptom information remotely from patients in relation to their healthcare needs. In return, Florence sends health advice based on the readings, as agreed with their clinician. Florence can also alert clinicians if a patient's condition worsens to allow them to intervene appropriately. Florence can also send reminders and health tips to support engagement and compliance with health or lifestyle advice. Do you want to find out more? Please follow the link: FLORENCE Blood Pressure Telehealth or collect a leaflet from Reception