As a Practice, we are vaccinating all patients over the age of 65 and those who are Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (previously known as Shielders).  Invitation letters have already been sent out.  If you are over 65 or who are Clinically Extremely Vulnerable and have not yet received an invitation, please contact the Practice. We are also giving nasal flu vaccinations to PRE-school children, aged over 2 years.  Please contact the Practice if you have a child who has NOT yet started school and would like them to receive the nasal flu, and you will be given an appointment to attend one of our dedicated Clinics.

All other patients will be vaccinated by NHS Highland in due course.  The priority groups are the over 70s and the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable.  Once these groups are vaccinated, NHS Highland will be in touch to offer you an appointment to attend for a flu vaccination if you are aged over 50, or under 50 in an at risk group.

Please do not contact the Practice regarding this issue, as we do not have the supplies to vaccinate any patient outwith these two categories.

For further information, please see NHS Highland website for details or NHS Inform for advice.

Many thanks for your understanding in this matter.

GPs are NOT required to issue Face Mask Exemptions or letters.  Please see the following websites for further information:

Scottish Government

British Government

Face Covering Exemption NHS Scotland

From Monday 23 August 2021, how you access URGENT on the day appointments will be changing.

If you have something that absolutely cannot wait for a routine appointment and you feel that you definitely need urgent on the day attention from a GP, we would ask that you telephone the Practice between 8.00am and 8.30am, Monday to Friday.

If you call out with these times, you will be offered the nearest routine telephone appointment, although you can still request an on the day urgent telephone appointment, as we are aware that there will be still be a need during the day for these appointments.

If there are any appointments the GP feels is not urgent and can be dealt with routinely, you will not be called back by a GP, but a member of the admin team will be asked to call you back to make a routine telephone appointment.

When requesting an appointment, you will be asked the reason, as the more information you give, the better chance you have of being directed to the correct service and your needs being met.

We have freed up more face to face appointments, but for the moment, you will still need a telephone call with a GP first to access one of these, as Covid restrictions have not changed for us.

We hope that this will make access fairer for those that genuinely need on the day attention and easier for the GPs to prioritise those most urgent.

We would ask you to be patient and kind as we transition to this new way of working and thank you for your understanding.

The Scottish Government requires General Practice and other healthcare settings to have different infection control and physical distancing guidance to other places such as hospitality and
shops.  This is to help reduce the risk to Practice staff and to people attending the Practice who may be at greater risk if they catch Covid 19.

The following rules still apply in General Practice:

• wearing of face coverings by patients and the public (unless you are exempt)
• physical distancing of 2 metres in waiting rooms
• contact your Practice by telephone in the first instance
• wearing of PPE by staff
• screening of all patients for Covid 19 symptoms

Please support your Practice team by complying with this guidance.

Please be aware that current Covid infection rates are on the rise.  This may affect patient care here at the Practice.  Please be aware that if any of our Clinicians need to self-isolate, appointments may have to be cancelled at short notice.  Please be assured that all emergency requests will still be dealt with.  We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

GUIDANCE FOR HOUSEHOLDS WITH POSSIBLE CORONAVIRUS INFECTION

Please see NHS Inform website regarding when and how long you would need to self-isolate due to Coronavirus.

If you have a general query about the COVID-19 vaccine, please look on the NHS Inform website or telephone the National Helpline on 0800 030 8013 which is open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

Please avoid calling with any general queries about the COVID-19 vaccine as we are unable to give you any more information at this stage and we need to try and keep phone-lines open for people who are unwell and needing medical care.  

Please see NHS Highland website regarding Board Run Clinics.

These drop-in Clinics are open to anyone who has not yet received their first or second dose of vaccine (please leave at least 8 weeks between doses).  Drop-in Clinics do not require an appointment and you can arrive at any time during opening hours.  Please wear loose clothing/short sleeves.  Please be advised that you may have a short wait when you arrive depending on demand.

Certificates and proof of vaccination:

If you are intending to travel abroad you should:

• check the entry requirements for your destination country on the UK foreign travel advice pages
• get up-to-date information from the website of your destination country
• check the re-entry requirements for your return to Scotland
• only request a vaccination record if it is absolutely required and you are due to travel in the next 21 days

NHS Inform – Get a record of your Covid Vaccination

If you did not receive an invitation letter from NHS Highland (or you were sent an invitation from the Practice), you will not have a unique username.  Click on this link to obtain a username.

As a Practice, we have devised a patient information leaflet regarding the wearing of face coverings in the Practice.

Please see attached for further information.