Welcome to the Forest Practice
Help us to help you
If you have a health concern please contact reception to arrange a
telephone appointment with a clinician
or alternatively you may prefer to contact us via our new online service Doctorlink;
Click here for more information and to register Doctorlink
If you need any medical advice please call 111
Pharmacy opening times for the Spring Bank holiday for West Essex - Pharmacy
Did you know….?
We are participating in a new service from 1 April 2022, that will direct patients to the most appropriate healthcare professional when booking an appointment, which may be a local community pharmacist either virtually or at their pharmacy.
We believe this will benefit you as your local pharmacist is a highly trained and skilled clinician experienced in treating minor illnesses and should be able to offer you an appointment quicker. This will help free up GPs to deal with more complex health needs and ensure that everyone gets treated at the right time, by the right healthcare professional.
We will be listening to patients an about their experience of using this service to inform how we can improve things, and so are keen to hear your views. You will be advised how to give this feedback when you access the Community Pharmacy Service.
Patient Information leaflet - Community Pharmacy Information
Please read our Newsletter for the latest information about our services
Spring Newsletter
Why are GPs needing to work differently - click here for BMA poster and link to Support your Surgery campaign
Face masks mandatory in general practice
We need to continue to do what we can to keep people safe from catching Covid-19. One way we can all help with this is by continuing to wear a face-covering in our practice and we are asking all patients to do that, as well as our staff. Keeping our staff safe is essential to keep operating efficiently.
We are also continuing to make sure we don’t have large numbers of patients in our waiting areas and on the premises – again this is about reducing the chance of infection when there are rising rates in the community.
The various measures we have taken, including increased use of personal protective equipment, patients wearing face masks, holding more virtual consultations, social distancing and extra premises cleans have helped protect staff, patients and visitors over the past year. Taking these steps has also enabled us to continue providing many of the non-urgent services that would otherwise have been postponed.
We want to make sure you can all be confident about accessing or visiting local healthcare services safely.
Thank you for your understanding and your cooperation with this – it makes a huge difference.
Covid-19 Vaccination update 06.04.22
If you had your first vaccine at a Pharmacy or large vaccination centre then you should already have an appointment booked and should attend that appointment as planned or rebook using the National booking system.
All other first and second vaccinations are to be administered via the National booking system. You will be able to book your vaccination when NHS England releases your age group. You can book your vaccination on line at the National Booking System or by calling NHS 119 between 7am and 11pm.
Details for walk-in clinics for 16+
Covid Booster Vaccination - NHS England will be in touch to book your 4th Vaccine in the coming weeks, 3 to 6 months after your last vaccination. To book your next Covid Vaccination call 119 or on the national booking website.
Please access the links below for more information.
Covid pass medical exemption
How to demonstrate your Covid 19 vaccination status when travelling abroad - GPs do not provide this service
Covid-19-vaccination-and-blood-clotting -patients information leaflet
Up to date information about COVID vaccinations
How to book your second vaccination if you have received your first vaccination aboard - Patients information leaflet
Covid vaccine priority poster- shows how practices will decide when to invite patients for their covid vaccine
JCVI advice on priority groups for Covid 19 vaccine
Why do I have to wait for my Covid-19 vaccine? - information about Covid-19 vaccine supplies
Why am I having to wait longer for my second immunisation? - link to statement from Joint Committee on Vaccination and immunisation
Essex Covid Vaccine website - developed to give patients across Southend Essex and Thurrick key information about Covid vaccination including who is eligible and how you can get it.
If you are recovering from Covid 19 then we recommend the NHS Your Covid Recovery website which has lots of helpful information and tips to aid your recovery.
Accessing Medical care and support
Our dedicated team are here to treat those minor ailments that occur as well as providing specialist management of long-term conditions and clinics covering a wide range of healthcare issues. The technology also means you can now do a lot of things from the comfort of your home such as order a repeat prescription or cancel an appointment.
In response to the current pandemic we have introduced telephone triage and Doctorlink triage for all requests. The Doctor will contact you to discuss if your problem can be safely managed through remote consultation by phone or video call. If you need a face to face appointment we have arranged surgery times to avoid large numbers of patients being gathered together and our reception team will direct you as you enter and leave the building.
Please click on the link for more information regarding Video calls and Photographs used in remote consulting
All patients attending the surgery are asked to wear a Face covering, please let the Receptionist know if you do not have a suitable covering/mask.
Please click on the link below for information for people who are exempt from wearing face coverings
Coronavirus Face Covering Exemption Guidance
We are grateful for your co-operation in maintaining social distancing if you are asked to attend the surgery in order to protect yourselves and our staff.
Partners in Care
Once registered, patients and healthcare professionals work together to ensure the most appropriate care is provided. This partnership philosophy extends even further and our patient group exists to make sure that patient needs and the practice offering are always heading in the same direction. We will be arranging our next Patient Participation group meeting as soon as the current measures are eased.
Access
Pyrles Lane has wheelchair access, lift and toilet facilities. Our branch surgery at Station Road has disabled toilet facilities and limited parking.
Immunisations
Calling all parents and expectant mothers! Please ensure your children are up to date with their immunisations, more important now than ever as the lockdown eases. Contact our reception team to book an appointment with the nurse.
Safeguarding Children and Adults
All staff are committed to protecting Vulnerable patients from harm and where necessary we will work together with other agencies to achieve this.
If you are worried about a child or Vulnerable Adult please speak to the Doctor or nurse about your concerns.
Anti-trafficking charities launch a new website aimed at keeping Ukrainian refugees safe and stopping exploitation.
A coalition of anti-slavery and human rights groups has launched a new website for Ukrainian refugees in the UK, aimed at keeping them safe from trafficking and helping them adjust to their new home.
www.ukrainianswelcome.org is a "one-stop shop" of useful websites, helplines, and other information – anything from where to get basic travel and housing advice to opening a bank account and understanding your rights as a worker.
Says Andrew Wallis, CEO of anti-slavery charity Unseen, one of the groups behind the initiative: "There are millions of Ukrainian people on the move, many of them with no support network, who are vulnerable to all sorts of exploitation.
"The more information we can give them on how to stay safe in the UK and where to go for support for an entire range of issues, the better. It will stop exploitation."
www.ukrainianswelcome.org is available in the Ukrainian, English and Russian languages.
It includes links to the Government's information for displaced Ukrainians.
"It's vitally important we get this information out there quickly as the situation gets more urgent by the day," says Andrew Wallis.
"We are already receiving calls from Ukrainian refugees to our Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline. And we are also getting worrying signals from other organisations in Europe regarding the trafficking of displaced Ukrainian people.
"We are urging the main UK mobile network providers to work with us on promoting the website to Ukrainian refugees as they arrive in the UK.
"A straightforward way to do this is for the website to be part of the standard welcome text that any traveller receives when arriving in this country. Already any foreigner registered phone arriving in the UK will get a welcome text from their UK provider detailing charges. What can be so difficult about changing that text for anyone arriving with a phone that is on a Ukrainian network?"
The initiative is funded by The Freedom Fund and the website developed by Milk & Tweed.
(Site updated 30/06/2022)