Welcome to the Mere Surgery Website
Flu clinics
Please read the information below and if you fall into one of the "at risk" categories please book an appointment either by contacting the surgery or if you are registered for our online service use the link below. Clinics are being held on different days throughout the week with the Practice Nurses.
Who should have the seasonal flu jab?
For most people, seasonal flu is unpleasant but not serious and they recover within a week.
However, certain people are at greater risk of developing serious complications of flu, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. These conditions may require hospital treatment. A large number of elderly people die from flu every winter.
The seasonal flu vaccine is offered free of charge to at-risk groups to protect them from catching flu and developing serious complications.
At-risk groups
It is recommended you have a flu jab if you:
- are 65 years of age or over
- are pregnant (see below)
- have a serious medical condition (see below)
- are living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility (not including prisons, young offender institutions or university halls of residence)
- are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill
- are a frontline health or social care worker (see below)
Pregnant women
As was the case last year, this winter (2011/12) it is recommended that all pregnant women should have the seasonal flu vaccine irrespective of their stage of pregnancy.
This is because there is good evidence to suggest that pregnant women have an increased risk of developing complications if they get flu, particularly the H1N1 strain.
Studies have also shown that the inactivated flu vaccine can be safely and effectively administered during any trimester of pregnancy. The vaccine itself does not present an increased risk of complications to either the mother or baby.
If you are the parent of a child (over six months) with a long-term condition, speak to your GP about the flu vaccine. Your child's condition may get worse if they catch flu.
Frontline health or social care workers
Employers are responsible for ensuring that arrangements are in place for their frontline healthcare staff to have the seasonal flu vaccine.
Outbreaks of flu can occur in health and social care settings with staff, patients and residents at risk of being affected.
Therefore, it is very important that frontline health and social care professionals protect themselves by having the flu vaccine and in doing so prevent the spread of flu to colleagues and other members of the community.
If you care for someone who is elderly or disabled, you should also be vaccinated against seasonal flu and you should ensure that the person you are caring for has the flu jab as well.
Flu vaccine eligibility: medical conditions
The seasonal flu vaccine is offered free of charge to anyone who is over six months of age and has one of the following medical conditions:
- chronic (long-term) respiratory disease, such as severe asthma, COPD or bronchitis
- chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
- chronic kidney disease
- chronic liver disease
- chronic neurological disease, such as stroke, TIA, polio syndrome
- diabetes
- a weakened immune system due to conditions, such as HIV or AIDs, or treatments that suppress the immune system, such as chemotherapy.
In some exceptional circumstances vaccination for non at risk patients may be possible. If you feel you would benefit from being vaccinated please contact the surgery and ask to speak to your usual doctor who will make a clinical decision as to whether vaccination would be beneficial or not. Non at risk patients will not be vaccinated until November if there is a sufficient supply of vaccine available.
Online ordering of repeat medication or booking an appointment - computer upgrade.
If you previously had log in details for EMIS Access and wish to order repeat medications or book an appointment online please click on the appropriate link below and enter the following:
Username is now your AccessID_1515
Password is the same as you previously used.
If you experience any problems please contact the surgery and we will do our best to resolve any issues.
If you do not currently have a password or log in name you will need to contact the surgery and ask for a printout with theses details on before you can log in.
Angela Pitman - Practice Manager
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Mere has had general medical services for many years, previously served by single handed doctors in their homes, we moved to the current purpose built premises to meet the demands of modern medicine in 1990.
We aim to combine the best of a traditional country practice with the best of the new NHS. Our small size allows us to provide a very personal service and we value continuity of your care. We encourage you to remain with one doctor for a particular problem.
We deliver a versatile range of appointments to suit your needs, the range includes routine or same day appointments, morning, afternoon and evening opening times and we aim to allow easy access to your doctor or nurse on the telephone also.
Being so far from a hospital, we bring many services into our surgery saving you travelling time, parking issues and the like. We particularly value our in house physiotherapy service, and the visiting specialists that use our premises to consult. We value our good communications with hospital specialists and hope that we can help any medical journey run smoothly.