Swine Flu Information

For most people, swine flu is a mild illness. Some people get better by staying in bed, drinking plenty of water and taking over-the-counter flu medication.

However, some groups of people are more at risk of serious illness if they catch swine flu, and will need to start taking antiviral medication if it is confirmed that they have swine flu.

It is already known that you are particularly at risk if you have:

• chronic (long-term) lung disease,
• chronic heart disease,
• chronic kidney disease,
• chronic liver disease,
• chronic neurological disease (neurological disorders include motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease),
• immunosuppression (whether caused by disease or treatment) or
• diabetes mellitus.

Also at risk are: 

• patients who have had drug treatment for asthma within the past three years,
• pregnant women,
• people aged 65 and older, and
• young children under five.

It is vital that people in these higher-risk groups who catch swine flu get antivirals and start taking them as soon as possible.

So far, most swine flu cases have been mild, with symptoms similar to those of seasonal flu. Only a small number of people have had more serious symptoms.

If you or a member of your family has a fever or high temperature (over 38°C/100.4°F) and two or more of the following symptoms, you may have swine flu:

• unusual tiredness, 
• headache,
• runny nose,
• sore throat,
• shortness of breath or cough,
• loss of appetite, 
• aching muscles,
• diarrhoea or vomiting.

If you are concerned you may have swine flu, stay at home and check your symptoms using the online National Pandemic Flu Service.

The National Pandemic Flu Service is a new online service that will assess your symptoms and, if needed, provide an authorisation number that can be used to collect antiviral medication from a local collection point. For those who do not have internet access, the same service can be accessed by telephone on:

• Telephone: 0800 151 3100

Scientists have now developed a vaccine for swine flu, but it isn't available yet.

The first batches of vaccine are expected to be available in the next few months, and approximately 50 million doses are expected by the end of the year, with more following after that.

The government has ordered enough vaccine for the whole population. It will focus on those at the greatest risk first. The vaccine will initially be given to the following groups, in this order:

• People aged between six months and 65 years who usually get the seasonal flu jab.
• Pregnant women, subject to licensing. The European Medicines Agency, who license the vaccine, will indicate whether it can be given to all pregnant women or whether it should only be offered at certain stages of pregnancy.
• People who live with those whose immune systems are compromised, such as cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS.
• People aged 65 and over in the seasonal flu vaccine at-risk groups.

We will notify patients when a vaccine becomes available.

Seasonal Flu

Wargrave Surgery will be running its yearly Flu Clinic on Saturday 31 October 2009.  Download your flu form here.

It is recommended you have a flu jab if you:

• are 65 or over,
• have a serious medical condition (see box),
• live in a residential or nursing home,
• are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill,
• are a healthcare or social care professional directly involved in patient care, or
• work with poultry.

 GP Patient Survey 2008/9

Survey specialists Ipsos MORI delivered the 2008/9 patient survey on behalf of the Department of Health.  Surveys were mailed to patients in January 2009, and the results can be viewed here.

The GP Patient Survey 2009/10

From April 2009 the GP Patient Survey is changing.  The survey will continue to assess patients' experiences of local NHS services.  However from April this will be done quarterly instead of annually.  The survey will be sent to a different sample of patients each quarter.

The GP Patient Survey is part of the Government's commitment to make the NHS more responsive to patients' needs.  The survey underpins a range of policies to improve the patient experience.  This includes supporting assessment of practice achievement of the patient experience indicators in the Quality and Outcomes Framework covering 48-hour access and advance booking.

The 'core' topics covered in the survey will be:

• Getting through on the phone
• Accessing GP appointments
• Patient satisfaction with practice opening hours
• Consultations with healthcare professionals
• Patient satisfaction with overall care

Patients selected will be sent questionnaires during the following weeks:

• 06 April
• 06 July
• 05 October
• 04 January 2010

Extended Hours -    March 2010

We are running extended hours (18:30 - 20:15) sessions on some weekdays and some saturday mornings in addition to all our normal surgeries.   These are the surgeries running in  March 2010.