FACE COVERINGS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING

NHS Patients, Staff and Visitors Must Continue To Wear Face Coverings in Healthcare Settings.

England’s Chief Nurse has today reminded the public that everyone accessing or visiting healthcare settings must continue to wear a face covering and follow social distancing rules.

Covid restrictions will end in many settings in England from Monday 19th July.

However, Public Health England’s infection prevention control guidelines and hospital visiting guidance are set to remain in place for all staff and visitors. 

That means NHS visitor guidance will stay in place across all health services including hospitals, GP practices, dental practices, optometrists and pharmacies to ensure patients and staff are protected.                                                      

Staff, patients and visitors will also be expected to continue to follow social distancing rules when visiting any care setting as well as using face coverings, masks and other personal protection equipment.

COVID-19 Vaccination Program/Patient Update

It has been a remarkably challenging time at Albany Surgery, like it is at most GP Practices at the moment. Having to sustain a GP service and staff the vaccination centre whilst absences are still often frequent and lengthy due to isolations, is very challenging. We also have to make bookings for patients there, which takes over 30hrs of administration time each week. We have sourced temporary new staff and are doing our best to ensure both services are efficient for our patients.

We are now almost at the 10000 vaccinations mark so are rapidly moving through our patient lists by cohort priority; please be patient and we will make contact with you soon. You are likely to get contacted by us through an AccurX text advising you to book online for our local vaccination centre. The only personal information you will be asked for is your date of birth, to confirm your identity.

If you get contacted by the mass vaccination sites then you can opt to go to that appointment but if you would prefer to attend the local centre, at Sherborne House in Newton Abbot, then you will be given that opportunity and it would probably only be a matter of days difference before we contact you. You can also book online for the mass vaccination centres if you are over 70.

Wherever you opt to go if you are not able to attend an appointment given then please let that service know so that we can reduce the risk of any vaccine wastage. Clinics are planned very carefully based on doses in vials and once they are opened, they must be used that day.

If you cannot attend your vaccination appointment at Sherborne House, you may call the surgery on 01626 334411.

We are now moving to vaccinate cohorts 7, then 8 to 9. (Cohort 7 = All those 60 years of age and over. Cohort 8 = All those 55 years and over. Cohort 9 = All those 50 years of age and over). For those of you in the earlier cohorts that we have not been able to contact yet, we will make further attempts to contact you to ensure you get vaccinated. Please be patient with us, you will be contacted either by text or a phone call. 

• If you have received a letter informing you to contact your GP Practice from the NHS, and it does not have your specific Practice details on then this is a generic letter, and you should still wait for us to contact you
• If you have not received a letter with your vaccination appointment details on you can still come for your vaccination but if you could bring your NHS number and Date of Birth with you that would really help speed up finding your appointment on the system when you check-in
• If you are exempt from wearing a face mask, please consider wearing one for the short time you will be in the centre for your vaccination. We want to make the centre as safe as possible for all patients and staff.
• Make sure your contact details are up to date at your GP Practice so that we can contact you when it is your turn to be vaccinated. Most Practices have a link on their website or an email address for you to do this. Please don’t call your Practice unless you have to.

Welcome to Albany Surgery

'Continually working hard

to maintain and improve our high levels

of patient care'

Albany Surgery is situated in a purpose-built premises in Scott Close, the surgery has been providing medical services to the community of Newton Abbot and nearby villages for many years.

We are part of NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, their website can be found here.

Our healthcare team includes doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, phlebotomist, pharmacist, administration staff, midwives and health visitors. This website contains information about the surgery which will help you to make the most of the services that we offer.

Visit our facebook page

 @albanysurgery

What is Healthy Start? 

With Healthy Start, you get free vouchers every weeek to spend on milk, plain fresh and frozen fruit & vegetables, and infant formula milk. You can also get free vitamins. If you have children under 4 or are pregnant, and your family receive qualifying benefits you may be eligible - you can quickly find out here.

https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthy-start-vouchers/

Applying is easy, you can print of an application form from the Healthy Start website and post to the Healthy Start office.

Click here to visit their webiste for further information. 

Heath information for Devon, Making the right decision for me

Vistit My Health Devon for more information