Patient Update

Flu Vaccines

Flu vaccination season fully commences on 3/10/2024. From 1/9/24 pregnant women can have their vaccination.

Flu appointments are now available to book online or by telephoning the surgery. Those entitled to the flu vaccine are:

chronic (long-term) respiratory disease, such as severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or bronchitis
chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
chronic kidney disease at stage three, four or five
chronic liver disease
chronic neurological disease, e.g. Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) or cerebral palsy
learning disability
diabetes
splenic dysfunction or asplenia
weakened immune system due to disease (HIV/AIDS) or treatment (cancer treatment)
morbidly obese (BMI of 40 and above)
all pregnant women (including those women who become pregnant during the flu season)
household contacts of those on the NHS Shielded Patient List, or of immunocompromised individuals, specifically individuals who expect to share living accommodation with a shielded patient on most days over the winter and therefore for whom continuing close contact is unavoidable
anyone aged 65 years or over (including those becoming age 65 years by 31 March 2025)
People living in long-stay residential care homes or other long-stay care facilities where rapid spread is likely to follow introduction of infection and cause high morbidity and mortality. This does not include, for instance, prisons, young offender institutions, university halls of residence, or boarding schools
people who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an older or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill
health and social care staff, employed by a registered residential care/nursing home or registered domiciliary care provider, who are directly involved in the care of vulnerable patients/clients who are at increased risk from exposure to influenza.
Health and care staff, employed by a voluntary managed hospice provider, who are directly involved in the care of vulnerable patients/clients who are at increased risk from exposure to influenza.

Health and social care workers employed through Direct Payments (personal budgets) and/or Personal Health Budgets, such as Personal Assistants, to deliver domiciliary care to patients and service users

Appointments can now be booked online or by calling the surgery

RSV Vaccinations (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)

From 1 September 2024, pregnant women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant, those who turn 75 and those aged 75 to 79 will be eligible for a free vaccine to protect them from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

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 for the RSV vaccination

Pregnant women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant, everyone turning 75 years old on or after the 1 September 2024 is entitled to 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 available to those who are already aged 75 to 79 years on 1 September 2024 as part of a catch up programme.

If you are not yet 75 the NHS will invite you will be able to have the vaccination once you turn 75.

There are specific RSV vaccination clinics which can now be booked.

NHS Pharmacy First advanced service

Patients can now access direct help for 7 conditions from local pharmacies. This is a new service and the pharmacist may be able to provide medications as part of the service and save you having to visit the GP.

The conditions that the pharmacy can now help with are:

Clinical pathway	Age range
Acute Otitis Media*	1 to 17 years
Impetigo	1 year and over
Infected insect bites	1 year and over
Shingles	18 years and over
Sinusitis	12 years and over
Sore throat	5 years and over
Uncomplicated urinary tract infections	Women 16-64 years

* Distance Selling Pharmacies will not complete consultations for Acute Otitis Media.

Secondary Care Contacts

For all queries regarding outpatient appointments, results, follow up and appointment delays at hospitals please contact the appropriate hospital direct.

If you are unable to contact the relevant department each hospital has a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) specifically to assist patients and their relatives.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospital Trust (MTW)

Patients and relatives are welcome to contact us by telephone on: 01892 632953 or 01622 224960. If there is no-one available to answer your call, please leave a message on our voicemail facility and we will contact you as soon as possible. Alternatively you can email us on mtw-tr.palsoffice@nhs.net.

https://www.mtw.nhs.uk/patients-visitors/talk-to-us/patient-advice-liaison-service-pals/

East Sussex Hospital Trust (ESHT)

Patient advice and liaison service (PALS)
Eastbourne DGH
Level 2 main entrance (turn immediate left on entry, the office is first on the left)

0300 131 4784 or 0300 131 5309

esh-tr.patientexperience@nhs.net

Open to in-person visits:
9am to 3pm – Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays)

https://www.esht.nhs.uk/service/patient-advice-and-liaison-service/

University Hospital; Brighton (BSUH)

Royal Sussex County Hospital, Sussex Eye Hospital and Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital

01273 664511

01273 664973

uhsussex.pals@nhs.net