News

Recent News & Announcements from Voyager Family Health

COVID Vaccine

TO ALL OF OUR PATIENTS,

We are all excited to hear that there is real progress on a COVID vaccine and that this should improve the quality of life for all of us.
We know that you, like us, are struggling with the confines imposed upon us all due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Everyone is trying to make the best of the situation and, as a practice, we are committed to caring for you in the best possible way whilst keeping both you and our team safe.

  • To keep you as informed as possible, we will update these messages frequently as we become aware of more information from NHS England:
  • The Pfizer/BioNTech has now been approved by the British regulator (Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) as safe to be used.
  • Due to issues about having to store the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at very low temperatures, it is probably going to be delivered to hospitals first.
  • The 2 other Covid vaccines that are in development and have not yet been licensed to be used on patients in the UK – but we are expecting them to be licensed very soon.
  • It appears that those eligible for the vaccine will need to have two Covid-19 vaccines for them to be most effective
  • There will be some large vaccination centres and some mobile units to deliver and administer the vaccines. We do not know yet what there will be in our area.
  • Many thousands of people have volunteered to be part of the project to organise and administer these vaccines which is really encouraging.
  • The expectation is that the vaccinations will not start for most people until 2021 and it will take some time to vaccinate everyone who is eligible.

Meanwhile, we all need to keep to the advice of hand-washing, face masks and social distancing but we all look forward to the time when we will return to life as normal.

Thank you for your patience

Dr Micklethwaite, Dr Whitfield, Dr Hughes, Dr Tighe, Dr Saeed, Dr Riley

03.12.20

Ordering Medication for the Christmas Period

We will be shut from 18:30pm on Thursday 24th December and will re-open at 08:30am Tuesday 29th December. We will also be closed on New Years Day (1st January 2021)

We can accept prescription requests 12 days in advance if your medication is due to run out over the Christmas period. New Years Day will also be taken into account.

Please let us know if you are going away and require your medication earlier than twelve days in advance. You can do so by using the special notes or special instructions box on our online order form  when making a request https://voyagerfamilyhealth.co.uk/repeat-prescriptions-request-form/

 

Arthritis Support Group

Join us at the North Hampshire Arthritis Support Group

We are currently meeting online at 2pm on the first Thursday of each month using the Microsoft Teams App. We have a speaker or activity and give the opportunity for questions and discussion as a self-help group. 

We hope to return to meeting in person at some point during 2021.
For more information about the group, please contact: 

northhantsarthritiscare@googlemail.com 

For information on arthritis conditions, research, exercises etc.
visit www.versusarthritis.org

 

Patient Feedback

We are always grateful to receive feedback from our patients!

October 2020

“In a world where everybody seems to be angry and shouting about their rights, can I commend Lisa and George for going above and beyond the call of duty when I attended my INR appointment.  In highly inclement conditions those two girls, all PPEd up and wearing extra waterproof clothing, took my blood test in such a cheerful and happy manner.  They were such a splendid example of care and commitment.
As too is Helen – another star.  Twice recently I have phoned the surgery to make enquiries and on each occasion spoken with Helen.  She gave me time and dealt with my questions in a kindly manner, didn’t rush me and followed through with my enquiries.  She is such an asset to you as  a frontline person and represents the practice in an excellent way.
I am so grateful to these three ladies for their kindness, efficiency and care.

I am aware of course that there are other members of staff and everyone is part of a team and I have experienced that team work on many occasions but somehow I needed to recognise the recent care I have received.”

Hidden Disabilites – The Sunflower Scheme

A hidden disability is a disability that may not be immediately obvious.

Hidden disabilities don’t have physical signs and include learning difficulties, mental health as well as mobility, speech, visual or hearing impairments. They can also include asthma, COPD, and other lung conditions as well as chronic illnesses such as renal failure, diabetes, and sleep disorders when those diseases significantly impact day-to-day life.

Living with these conditions can make daily life more demanding for many people. They affect each person in different ways and can be painful, exhausting, and isolating. Without visible evidence of the hidden disability, it is frequently difficult for others to acknowledge the challenges faced and as a consequence, sympathy and understanding can often be in short supply.

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower does not entitle you to anything other than that you have a hidden disability and that you may need some assistance, help, or a little more time. It is NOT a pass to be fast-tracked nor for any other benefit.

Sunflower Scheme – Face Coverings

Patient Access – Important Security Update

Patients are being contacted via email regarding an important new security measure that will soon be implemented in Patient Access across both web and mobile apps. Please carefully read the information below which explains what this measure is and why we are introducing it:

Memorable word

We are dedicated to safeguarding information relating to your health and the existing measures in Patient Access already offer a very high level of data protection and security. We are introducing an additional authentication step when signing in to Patient Access to further protect your data. You will be asked to set a ‘memorable word’ that you will need to enter three characters from when signing in to Patient Access, as well as your usual password. You will also be able to set a ‘memorable word reminder’ to help prompt you if at any point you forget it.

Data security is our priority and the introduction of this new measure is important in providing further protection to your data.

Please note that the memorable word requirement is not live now but will be rolled out over the coming months, so don’t worry if you haven’t yet been asked to set it.

If you have any technical queries or questions regarding the content of this email please contact our Support team via the Patient Access website. They’re here to help you on all things Patient Access, so contact us rather than your GP practice as this is a very busy time for them.

Kind regards,

The team at Patient Access