Flu vaccination — Important information for our patients

To ensure your safety and that of our staff, we will be managing our flu clinics slightly differently this year due to the continuing covid pandemic.

The government has announced that more people will be eligible for flu vaccination this year, including: household contacts of previously shielded patients, Year 7 school children (aged 11 on 31st August 2020), and health and social care workers. The aim is to further extend the vaccination programme in November and December to include everyone aged 50 – 64, as stocks of vaccine permit. This extension will be phased in to allow us to prioritise those in ‘at risk’ groups. We will be in touch with patients in the 50 – 64 age group when we have further information.

Eligible primary school children and Year 7 children will be offered the vaccination through their schools’ vaccination programmes.

How our vaccination programme will work this year

Please note that because of the special covid measures in place, you will not be able to book your flu appointment on-line this year.

If you are eligible to have a flu vaccination, we will contact you. We will text, email or get in touch direct to invite you to make an appointment. When you receive your invitation, please try to telephone the surgery within the following seven days between 9.30am and 4.30pm and our staff will be happy to arrange your flu appointment for you.

Please do not contact us about flu vaccination before we have been in touch with you about your vaccination. Patients considered to be at highest risk from flu will be given priority for early appointments.

If you have any queries regarding flu vaccination, please go to https://www.gov.uk or https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/flu-influenza-vaccine. If you still have any queries about your flu vaccination, please telephone the surgery and speak to a practice nurse before you attend for your appointment.

Guidance when attending for your vaccination

When attending for your flu vaccination it is very important that you follow all the guidance below:

• If you are unwell on the day of your appointment, please do not attend. It would help if you would contact us a few days later and ask to be given an appointment for the next vaccination session.
• Please do go to the toilet before you leave home — ours will be out of use during our main flu clinics.
• Please attend alone if possible.
• Bring as few items as possible with you.
• Please wear a face covering.
• Please wear loose clothing suitable to allow quick and easy access to your upper arm for vaccination.
• Please arrive at the time of your appointment, otherwise you will be asked to wait in your car or outside.
• We will measure your temperature when you arrive at the front door, and if it is 37. 8°C or over, or you have a new continuous cough or loss or change to your sense of smell or taste, we will ask you to return home without being vaccinated and we will advise you to visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ to find out what to do. If you do not have internet access, you should phone 111 for advice.
• If your temperature is normal, we will ask you to sanitise your hands and book in at reception before joining a socially distanced queue through the waiting room.
• You will then be directed through to a doctor or nurse for your vaccination. Please remember that you will not be able to discuss any other problems with the doctor or nurse during your appointment.
• Once you have had your vaccination, you will be directed through a one-way system out of the building sanitising your hands on the way.

Please help us to keep you, other patients and our staff safe by following all of this guidance.

More information

For the latest information, please visit our website www.towerhousesurgery.co.uk and our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RATHPPG/.  For covid information, visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Mission Statement

To provide the highest standard of care to our patients and their families through a quality, safe and patient centred approach. To harbour an environment of trust, honesty and empathy and to value education, research and evidence based practice.

Practice Information. 

The present practice was formed in 1973 when a two-man practice working in Bovey Tracey formed a partnership with a single-handed doctor in Chudleigh. Since then the practice has grown steadily and now consists of eight partners. We are fortunate in being able to offer excellent facilities at Tower House Surgery in Chudleigh which was built in 1992 and at Riverside Surgery in Bovey Tracey which was completed in March 1995.

Our practice operates in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. If you require further information about our compliance with these Acts, or on accessing your medical records, please enquire at reception.

Opening Hours

Our premises at Riverside Surgery in Bovey Tracey and Tower House Surgery in Chudleigh are open at the following times:

Monday - Friday 
8.30am to 1.00pm & 2.00 to 6.00pm

The practice also offers routine pre-bookable GP appointments outside of these opening hours on Monday evenings and Wednesday evenings twice a month in our extended hour’s clinic. Contact our reception team for further information.

Timetables for both surgeries showing each doctor's consultation sessions can be found in our Surgery Times section.

Telephone service maintained between 1.00pm - 2.00pm

Improved Access appointments

From Monday 1st October 2018, additional evening appointments have been made available for our patients. These appointments are not the same as the evening appointments which are currently offered. Every night of the week, one GP surgery in the Newton Abbot area will be open from 6pm - 8pm and you can be seen by any one of these surgeries. These are routine pre-booked appointments. As these appointments are for patients over a wide area, you may not be seen by a Clinician known to you from our practice.

Rota for Monday to Thursday evening appointments:

Riverside Surgery, Bovey Tracey: Monday, every week

Devon Square: 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month

Cricketfield: 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesday of each month

Albany: 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month

Kingsteignton: Alternate Wednesday's

Kingskerswell and Ipplepen: 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Thursday of each month

Buckland: 1st Thursday of each month

Weekend Appointments

In addition to our evening appointments, there will be weekend appointments available at Cricketfield Surgery. Patients can see a Health Care Assistant, Practice Nurse, or GP. This service is for pre-booked routine work and is not for acute, urgent or walk-in situations. For any urgent or acute problem, you should continue to contact 111 for help and advice. 

Times for weekend appointments:

Fridays: between 6pm and 8pm

Saturdays: between 8am and 6pm

Sundays: between 8am and 2pm

Consent to share your medical records

The Clinician you see will require access to your medical history in your records. When you book your appointment, you will be asked to consent to the sharing of your medical records. When you give consent, the only person who will be able to see your records is the Clinician at your appointment. Your consent will be valid for just 28 days from your appointment date.

If you do not wish to share your medical records, then unfortunately the weekday and weekend appointment service will not be suitable for you.

Parking and Disabled Facilities

Car parking is available in the nearby public pay-and-display car parks, which are within level walking distance of the surgeries. We also have limited parking spaces adjacent to the surgeries. Our purpose-built premises have facilities for the disabled.

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