COVID-19 INFORMATION

If you have any of these 3 COVID-19 symptoms please DO NOT ATTEND the surgery or other healthcare settings.

• a high temperature
• a new, continuous cough
• you’ve lost your sense of smell or taste or they’ve changed

If you require an apppintment please contact the surgery by phone so that we can make appropriate arrangements to see you in a safe way.

 

Latest Guidance

The government has published its plan for living with COVID-19.

From Friday 1 April

• Free mass symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 testing for the general public will end, and will instead be targeted towards the most vulnerable
• People with COVID-19 symptoms will be asked to exercise personal responsibility when deciding whether to stay at home - until then they are still advised to do so
• Current government guidance on COVID-19 passports will end and it will no longer recommend venues use the NHS COVID Pass 

Get the latest Government & NHS information & advice about coronavirus (COVID-19) on the gov.uk coronavirus website or the nhs.uk coronavirus website

 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccines

The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are safe and effective. They give you the best protection against COVID-19. Please visit the NHS Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine webpage for more information about the vaccine.

Honiton Surgery is not currently offering vaccinations for Covid-19. However, patients can still receive vaccinations at Mass Vaccination Centres which you can book using the National Booking Service. 

To use this service please call 119 or Book or manage your coronavirus vaccination online.

Patients may also be able to attend a walk-in clinic - Find a walk-in coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination site.

Autumn Covid-19 Booster Programme

The Autumn Covid-19 Booster Vaccination Programme will be managed by the national booking service. Patients will be contacted by them when they become eligible for Autumn Booster Vaccinations.

Care Home staff and residents, and Housebound vaccinations are being prioritised and will commence from 5th September 2022. Local trusts are working to contact these over the next few weeks to book them in. 

For those aged 80+ and frontline health and social care workers appointments will be available via the national booking system from 12th September 2022.

Further appointments for further age groups will become available in September and October dependent vaccine availability.

Honiton Surgery are unable to book these vaccinations, so please wait to be contacted by the NHS Booking Service, or contact NHS 119 if you have any queries regarding the vaccination programme.

 

Issues with booking your covid vaccination

If you are experiencing issues with booking your vaccination please contact the CCG's Vaccination Support Team - they are a non-clinical team who can support patients and practices with the following:

• Organising appointments / signposting to walk in vaccination sessions
• Signposting / providing patients with general advice in relation to national guidance and vaccinations
• Support patients and practices to resolve vaccination data recording errors
• Organising reasonable adjusted appointments
• Any other vaccination related queries

They can be contacted on D-CCG.devonvaccinationsupport@nhs.net or 01752 398 836.

 

Covid Vaccination Status

Patients who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can demonstrate their vaccination status using an NHS Covid Pass.

An NHS COVID Pass shows your coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination details or test results. This is your COVID-19 status.

You may be asked to show your NHS COVID Pass:

• to travel abroad
• at events and venues asking for proof of your COVID-19 status in England, Wales or the Isle of Man

You can get an NHS COVID Pass digitally through the NHS App or online using the NHS COVID Pass service.

If you cannot apply digitally using the NHS App or online service, you can ask for an NHS COVID Pass letter to be sent to you by post. You can request a covid pass letter online or by calling 119.  You can also apply on behalf of someone else.

Please make sure there is enough time to get proof of your vaccination status before you require it.

Covid Passes are produced from data held on the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS). This practice is unable to update this system unless we directly administerred your vaccination. If you received your vaccination elsewhere and you have an issue with how this is recorded please contact 119 and request a referral to the VDRS team.

This practice is not able to provide you with a letter that shows your COVID-19 vaccination status. Please do not contact the practice about your COVID-19 vaccination status unless you have been advised to by the 119 service.

 

Covid vaccination given while abroad?

From 9 December, if you live in England and have had one or more of your COVID-19 vaccinations administered overseas, you can have your vaccination details added to your NHS Record. You can then generate an NHS COVID Pass for domestic use and international travel if you meet certain certification requirements.

To register your overseas vaccinations, you’ll need to book an appointment at a selected list of vaccination centres across England.

Book an appointment to register your overseas vaccination with the NHS or call 119.

If you’re registered with a GP in England and were vaccinated in Scotland, Wales or the Isle of Man, you do not need to book an appointment at a vaccination centre. 

This practice is unable to record vaccinations given abroad in a way that allows the patient to access a covid pass so please do not contact the surgery to request this.

 

Scams

Unfortunately there are reports of various scams taking advantage of the COVID-19 situation. The NHS will not ask for bank details, so please be aware of suspicious emails or text messages.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued the following advice to the public to help people spot Covid-19 test scams

• Contact tracing ended from 24 February 2022 and the Government is no longer issuing SMS or emails to close contacts.
• You will never receive a text from NHS Test and Trace or another government department advising you that you need to pay for a test. All groups that are eligible for testing will be provided with free tests. 
• Anyone who is contacted should immediately report it. If you are suspicious about an email you have received, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726, which is free of charge.
• If you believe you are the victim of a fraud, please report this to Action Fraud as soon as possible by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting the Action Fraud website.  Action Fraud is the reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Reports of fraud and any other financial crime in Scotland should be reported to Police Scotland via 101.

Find out more about scam emails, texts and phone calls from the nscs.gov phishing information page. 

 

Research

If you would like to know more about COVID-19 research and how you can contribute, please visit the Be Part of Research website which is run by the National Institute for Health Research.

For information on research studies that Honiton Surgery is participating in please visit our Training and Research page.

 

Thanks

We would like to thank our amazing volunteers, community support and some retired staff that have all stepped in to help us during this time. We are very proud to work with the community and wider East Devon region.

Many Honiton Surgery staff and GPs are working seven day weeks to make the vaccination campaign as convenient and comfortable as they can.