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Measles

Measles is an infection that spreads very easily, and can cause serious problems in some people. You may have read about measles in the news recently, because cases have been rising in the past few months. Measles can be prevented with the MMR vaccination – a vaccine that’s available for free on the NHS. You can find out more about getting your MMR vaccination below.

Whilst the increase in measles cases has been seen mostly in the West Midlands so far, we know that the infection can spread quickly. That's why it’s important to know the symptoms of measles, what to do when you or your child might have measles, and how you can get protected against measles with a Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination course.

Symptoms

Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.

Flu-like symptoms

The first symptoms of measles include:

  • a high temperature
  • a runny or blocked nose
  • sneezing
  • a cough
  • red, sore, watery eyes

 

Spots and rash caused by measles

People who have measles may get white spots on the inside of their cheeks and on the back of their lips, a few days after they develop flu symptoms. These spots usually go away after a few days.

Measles will usually cause a rash a few days after the cold- or flu-like symptoms start. The rash tends to start on the face and behind the ears, before spreading to the rest of the body. Spots of the measles rash may be raised and join together to form blotchy patches. The rash is not usually itchy.

On white skin, the measles rash looks brown or red. If you have brown or black skin, it can be harder to see the rash. You can find photos of what measles rash usually looks like on the:

Measles - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

  • you think you or your child may have measles
  • you've been in close contact with someone who has measles and you've not had measles before or you've not had 2 doses of the MMR vaccine
  • you've been in close contact with someone who has measles and you're pregnant – measles can be serious in pregnancy
  • you have a weakened immune system and think you have measles or have been in close contact with someone with measles

Measles can spread to others easily. Call your GP surgery before you go in. They may suggest talking over the phone.

You can also call 111 or get help from 111 online.

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

You or your child has measles and:

  • shortness of breath
  • a high temperature that does not come down after taking paracetamol or ibuprofen
  • confusion
  • seizures (fits)

If you have symptoms of measles, please stay off work for at least four days from when you first develop a rash. If your child has measles, please do not bring them to nursery or school for a four-day period after they develop a rash.

Self-care

If you have measles, you can look after yourself by:

  • Resting and drinking plenty of fluids
  • Taking over-the-counter painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen to relieve a high temperature
  • Use cotton wool soaked in warm water to gently remove any crusts from you or your child’s eyes

Getting vaccinated

The Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine can prevent you from getting measles. All children in the UK are offered two doses of the MMR vaccination by the NHS as standard. But you can also have your MMR vaccines at an older age if you haven’t had them in the past. If you haven’t had your MMR vaccinations, please contact your GP practice for a vaccination appointment.

 Accessing your GP-held records via the NHS app or NHS website

As your GP practice, we have been asked to provide you with, from 31 October 2023, access to your full medical record going forward via the NHS app (and NHS website) if you have a suitable NHS login. Patients aged 18 years and over only.

Your GP medical record contains consultation notes based on conversations between you, your GP and their team: medicines prescribed to you; all test results including hospital investigations; allergies; vaccines; and your medical conditions along with documents that may have been sent from local hospitals, clinics or other agencies, eg the police. There is likely to be sensitive and personal information within your medical record

We are supportive of providing you with access to your record, but we wish to do this safely and make you aware that this is happening so that you can opt out, if you so wish.  If you are in a difficult or pressured relationship for example, you may prefer your records to remain accessible only to those treating you, with them not appearing on your smartphone or online. Government has been clear that if a patient does not wish to have access, then we do not have to provide it. For those patients with access now we will start by sending out a message to allow you to choose or decline the switch on.

It’s important to remember that these documents may, at times, contain information that could be upsetting, especially if they contain news of a serious condition. It can also be a cause for worry seeing results online when it isn’t clear what the results might mean, and no one is available to ask, as can be the case during the evening or at weekends, for example.

Sometimes people with a mental health condition might prefer not to see documents that remind them of difficult times in their life. Letters from mental health teams sometimes go into detail about past events, and great care would be needed in deciding whether you would want to see these letters. 

Great care is also needed in case private details might cause harm at home, should people in a difficult or pressured relationship be forced to show their medical record to an abusive partner. Anyone in such a position should make this clear to us at the practice, so we can take steps to keep you safe. This might mean removing access through the NHS app for the time being, or through a careful process where we hide sensitive things. We would talk this through with you.

Requesting access – (patients not already linked to NHS APP or SystmOne online) what do I need to do?

The easiest way to get access is to create an NHS login through the NHS app. Although you can also access your GP records via the internet on a computer, the first bit is easiest if done through a smartphone. If you don’t have one, you may have a family member or friend you trust who can help you. You can also ask your practice receptionist, but you’ll need some proof of who you are, eg a passport, driving licence or household bill.

If you use the NHS app, you’ll have to set up an account using a unique e-mail address and then ‘authenticate’ yourself to the NHS system to prove you are who you say you are. This will involve confirming your name, date of birth and contact details. The NHS login has several levels of authentication and to gain access to your records you’ll need the highest level of authentication. This generally involves you recording a short video of yourself to prove you are a real person as well as uploading a copy of a suitable identification document. 

Once you have suitably authenticated yourself to the NHS app and created your NHS login you can approach your practice and ask for access, being mindful of the risks associated with access and the importance of not sharing passwords or having them stored in your smartphone if you think other people might want to see them without your permission. If you have any concerns, you should explain these to your GP practice team who can guide you.

Your GP practice will have a form they will ask you to complete, with your NHS login (this will be the email address you used to sign up). Once you are happy to get online access, your request will be passed to the clinical team to review. It may be that the practice wishes to contact you to discuss your request if there are any concerns raised so that access can be given safely. We’re not sure how many people will ask for access all at once so there may be a wait, but we will do our best to get you online access as soon as we can.

New User Application Form

Flu and Covid-19 Seasonal Campaign

Vaccination is an essential part of protecting the public and staff over the colder months. We our now delivering our Flu vaccinations and the Covid-19 vaccinations from the Practice.

The groups to be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine are:

  • Residents in a care home for older adults
  • All adults aged 65 years and over
  • Persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group
  • Frontline health and social care workers
  • Persons aged 12 to 64 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
  • Persons aged 16 to 64 years who are carers and staff working in care homes for older adults.
  • The National Booking Service (NBS) is open  for the public to book appointments, whether via NHS.uk, the NHS App or telephone.   In support of co-administration people will be able to book a joint flu and COVID-19 appointment which improves the experience for citizens and offers efficiency for providers.

The below groups will be eligible for a flu vaccine:

  • those aged 65 years and over
  • those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups 
  • pregnant women
  • all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2023
  • those in long-stay residential care homes 
  • carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
  • close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
  • frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants
  • Eligible school aged children - Reception to year 6 (including those in clinical risk groups) will be offered immunisation by the school age immunisation service. However, the practice will continue to invite eligible school aged children in clinical risk groups for flu vaccination to ensure that they can access a vaccine before flu starts to circulate, where school sessions may be scheduled for later in the season or have been missed.

    An expansion to secondary school-aged children (Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11) is being considered. Should this be confirmed, further guidance will follow.

All those who turn 65 years by 31 March 2024 are eligible for both vaccinations.

Shingles Vaccination 2023 (from 1 September)

From 1 September 2023, all newly eligible individuals will be offered 2 doses of the non-live shingles vaccine Shingrix®

Shingles is a condition caused by the reactivation of chickenpox (herpes zoster) virus, sometimes decades after the initial infection. Shingles can occur at any age, with the highest incidence seen in older people. The incidence of shingles increases with age and around one in four adults will experience shingles in their lifetime, the severity of the infection also increases with age and can really affect your life, stopping you from doing all the things you usually enjoy. Infection causes clusters of painful, itchy, fluid filled blisters which can burst and turn into sores that eventually crust over and heal. The blisters usually affect an area on one side of the body, most commonly the chest but also the head, face and eye. 

Inclusion:

All immunocompromised individuals aged 50 years and over (with no upper age limit  (Shingrix® 2 doses 8 weeks - 6 months apart)

All Immunocompetent individuals and is to expand over a ten year period so that everyone 60 to 79 will be included.  This will begin with stage 1 (1 September 2023 to 31 August 2028) Shingrix® will be offered to those turning 70 and 65 years on or after 1 September 2023.

Zostavax® will be offered to persons aged between 70 to 79 that were eligible for the vaccination programme before 1 September 2023. Once all stocks of Zostavax® are exhausted, patients will then be offered Shingrix® if they have not previously been given a shingles vaccine.

During stage 2 (1 September 2028 to 31 August 

Shingrix® will be offered to those turning 65 and 60 years of age.  From 1 September 2033 and thereafter, Shingrix® will be offered routinely at age 60 years.  Those who have been previously eligible ( in stages 1 and 2) will remain eligible until their 80th birthday.

Shingles and its complications can be difficult to manage.  The treatment options vary from person to person depending on the area affected by the shingles.  It is important to see your GP as soon as possible after the rash occurs, as some treatments work best when given early.  Shingles can not be caught from someone with chickenpox, however, it is possible to catch chickenpox from someone with shingles.

Addenbrooke's Hospital

Test results on MyChart

Patients who are under the care of CUH are eligible for, and encouraged to sign up to access MyChart. MyChart is an electronic patient portal at Addenbrooke’s and The Rosie hospitals which allows patients to securely access parts of their health record held within the hospitals’ Epic electronic patient record system. Patients with access to MyChart are able to see results for tests performed at CUH including requests originating outside of CUH, for example by General Practice.

Results are released to MyChart four times a day, with Covid-19 test results being released immediately. 

Please be aware that on occasion patients may review their test results prior to the requesting clinician (GP or Consultant) please see the advice to patients on this on the results page in MyChart

www.cuh.nhs.uk/mychart

HOSPITAL WAIT TIMES

The Covid19 pandemic has added to the strain on all NHS services. As a result of this, waiting list times for outpatient and specialist appointments and procedures have increased for everybody. 

 

We appreciate that this can cause worry and uncertainty about when you will eventually receive an appointment.  The practice has no direct access to the hospital appointment lists.  

 

If you have been referred by your GP/are waiting for :

  • An outpatient appointment
  • An appointment for hospital tests (eg scans)
  • A date for an operation or other treatment
  • A follow-up from your hospital team

 

We recommend My Planned Care NHS

https://www.myplannedcare.nhs.uk/

Providing direct access to the latest average wait time for appointments and operations for local hospitals, as well as helpful advice and support for patients whilst they wait.

NHS My Planned Care is updated weekly, is easy-to-use and has ‘open access’ which enables carers, friends, relatives to also access information on someone else’s behalf.

Alternatively, patients who have already been in correspondence with hospitals regarding their planned care can also contact the relevant department or service. Details of which can be found on previous letters patients will have received or by contacting the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

Addenbrookes

  • 9am – 4pm, Monday to Friday

Email pals@addenbrookes.nhs.uk   Phone: 01223 216756

Royal Papworth Hospital

  • 8.30 – 4.30pm, Monday to Friday

 Email: papworth.pals@nhs.net

  • Tel: 01223 638896 or 01223 638963

Only call the practice if your condition has genuinely deteriorated, when you will be reviewed by one of the clinical team and appropriate action can be taken in regard to your care.

 

 

Covid Vaccinations Given Abroad

 

Only MHRA approved vaccines can be added to NIMS (NHS).  Patients are able to book into a regional centre via National Booking Service (NBS) for a vaccination validation appointment.  The Grafton Centre will be one of the regional centres for this service.  You will need to take an ID & Vaccination information with you - this service is by appointment only.  If the information check meets the requirement for a vaccine record a request will be raised to NIMS. The Practice can manually add information to your GP record but this will NOT update or provide a COVID pass.

You can use this service if you:

  • have an NHS number
  • Aged 5 years and over
  • have received one of these MHRA-approved vaccines outside of England - click on the link below for more detailed advice.

Details: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-covid-pass#residents-in-england-who-have-received-covid-19-vaccinations-overseas

Booking link: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/tell-nhs-about-coronavirus-vaccinations-abroad/

Vaccination queries - missing or incorrect (vaccine given in UK)

For missing or incorrect data, contact 119 and ask for a referral to the Vaccination Data Resolution Service (VDRS), current turnaround time is currently 21 days. This starts from 8 December 2021.

Do not contact your GP surgery about your COVID-19 vaccination status. GPs cannot provide letters showing your COVID-19 vaccination status or update the NHS APP.

To use the NHS App, you must be:

 

 

													

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