Spring 2025 COVID-19 Vaccinations

People aged 75 years and older, residents in care homes, and those aged 6 months and over with a weakened immune system will be offered a dose of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine this spring

Who is being offered a spring vaccine?

COVID-19 is more serious in older people and in people with certain underlying health conditions. For these reasons, people aged 75 years and over, those in care homes for older adults, and those aged 6 months and over with a weakened immune system are being offered a spring dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

If you are turning 75 years of age between April and June, you do not have to wait until your birthday, you can attend when you are called for vaccination.

Which vaccine will you be offered?

You will be given a booster dose of a vaccine made by Pfizer or Moderna and approved in the UK. These vaccines have been updated since the original vaccines and target a different COVID-19 variant. These updated vaccines boost protection well, and give slightly higher levels of antibody against the more recent strains of COVID-19 (Omicron).

St Wulfstan Surgery Covid Vaccination clinic dates:

Saturday 5th April - 8am - 2:30pm

Friday 25th April - 5pm - 7pm

Saturday 26th April 8am - 2:30pm

Invitations will be sent to all eligible patients in the next few days. Don’t hesitate! Vaccinate!

FREE 65 + Movement to Music programme in Kenilworth

Arts Uplift has a dementia-friendly Ageing Well programme that is still running, and now more places are available on the Movement to Music Programme in Kenilworth.

Movement to music involves simple stretching and dance-based movements set to popular music and is great fun as well as a gentle way to exercise. It can be done seated. Everyone is welcome.


Find out more about Arts Uplift here:

VETERANS MOVING FORWARDS: BUILDING A BRIGHTER FUTURE

A new FREE `Veterans Moving Forwards: Building a Brighter Future’ course, which has been created by Help for Heroes and will be co-delivered by Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust tutors of the Recovery Academy, together with ex veterans from the CWPT OpCourage Team.

 The first course is scheduled to start on Tuesday 29th April at Bulkington Community Centre and full details can be found on their website:  https://recoveryandwellbeing.co.uk/Enrolment.  

In case you haven’t heard of the Academy before, they deliver over 70 FREE courses aimed to support anyone over the age of 18 living in Coventry & Warwickshire with their mental health and wellbeing. 

Caring Together Warwickshire conference - Wednesday 12th March 2025

The Caring Together Warwickshire conference will be held on Wednesday 12 March, from 9:30am - 1:30pm at the Benn Hall, Rugby.

Unpaid carers can be any age, and look after or support someone close to them. This could be a family member, colleague or even a neighbour.

This event is organised in partnership with Caring Together Warwickshire and will provide an opportunity to connect local Carers with organisations that are there to offer advice and support.

The conference will also provide carers with an update on what is happening locally and an opportunity to listen and share experiences. It will also give insight to understand what currently matters most in a carer's role.

The event will include guest speakers and stalls from providers such as Age UK, Healthwatch, and Alzheimer’s Society, who will be available to give further information about local offers of support. There will also be round table discussions to discuss relevant topics.

For more information on the support available to Carers in Warwickshire, visit:

Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2025

Eating disorders can affect anyone. This is the message for Eating Disorders Awareness Week (24 February – 3 March 2025), organised by BEAT

This year’s Eating Disorders Week is focused on how eating disorders can affect anyone, to raise awareness of some of the complex mental health conditions & how people can get the support they need. Breaking down the stigma around eating disorders is key in helping people feel comfortable to reach out for support & increase the chance of recovery.

Right now, at least 1.25 million people in the UK are living with an eating disorder. An eating disorder can be anything from: AFRID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder and/or OSFED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder) – all of which are complex mental health conditions that are often misunderstood & undiagnosed, which can prevent people from reaching out for help.

A recent survey carried out by BEAT to 1900 people showed:

  • 4 in 5 people thought greater public awareness would make them feel more comfortable to talk about their eating disorder

  • 2 in 3 people would not feel comfortable talking to a teacher about the eating disorder

  • 2 in 3 people would not feel comfortable talking to their line manager

  • 2 in 3 people would not feel comfortable talking to a colleague about their eating disorder

Source: BEAT 2025

BEAT provides specialist UK wide support & has a variety of useful resources whether you have an eating disorder yourself or you would like to support someone you know who is struggling.

Visit their website: www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/ or get in touch using their helpline: 0808 801 0677.

You can also speak to your GP for a referral to specialist eating disorder services, there are services available for adults & for children & young people.

Young people can also access support online via anonymous counselling, chat and discussion forums from Kooth (age 16-25) & Qwell (aged 26+). Visit the website below for more information.

Two Exciting Chances to Join Our Team - Care Navigator/Receptionist & Practice Nurse

We are currently recruiting 2 new roles at St Wulfstan Surgery, Come and join an INCREDIBLE TEAM!

Here at St Wulfstan Surgery, we are looking for another Part Time Receptionist to join our lovely, expanding team.

For more information or to apply please visit our advert on Indeed here

Applications close 2nd March - don’t miss out!

We are also recruiting a new Nurse who shares our values to join our incredible team.

If you are a Practice Nurse and share our passion for delivering high quality, patient centred care in a warm and friendly environment, then please apply via our Indeed advert here

Applications close 9th March - Apply now!

Support for residents struggling with loneliness and social isolation

Feeling lonely can be tough, especially during the winter months with shorter daylight hours, colder weather and less opportunities to meet with family and friends.

Thankfully February is the shortest month of the year and Spring is not far away.
 
Warwickshire County Council’s Living Well webpages support people who are feeling lonely or socially isolated, as loneliness can affect anyone at any time of their life. Living Well is a place where people of all ages can reach out and find help and support.

Safer Internet Day 2025

Safer Internet Day: Young people encouraged to ask if it’s ‘too good to be true’ when online

This year’s theme is ‘Too good to be true?’ and Warwickshire County Council’s Community Safety Team, in conjunction with Safer Warwickshire partners and Child Friendly Warwickshire, have produced a short, animated film featuring the character ‘Safer Internet Bear’ to encourage younger children to take care when on the internet.

Discover FREE NHS services to help with WEIGHT, MENOPAUSE, PAIN & CHRONIC CONDITIONS

Our local PCN are providing a drop-in opportunity for all patients who would like to meet the Health Coach or ask any questions including how it works, whether it would suit their individual needs, how it could help their symptoms and anything they'd like to know about the service. 

This is a brilliant opportunity for people to just pop by and have an informal chat about anything they would like to ask. 

The Warwickshire Family Information Service Newsletter, family support at your fingertips

Finding reliable information and support for your family is as easy as checking your email

Thousands of Warwickshire parents and carers already subscribe to the county's Family Information Service (FIS) newsletter, and the team are on a mission to make sure everyone has access to all the vital information and support available via the newsletter which can be accessed here:

The FIS newsletter is your weekly dose of essential family resources, all delivered straight to your inbox. Each week, you'll receive a roundup of relevant news, key dates, and the latest Warwickshire support relating to everything from childcare and finances to housing and mental health. 

One of the biggest benefits of the FIS newsletter is its ability to connect you with hidden gems in your community. You'll discover fun events for children and young people, local groups, and essential services you might not have known existed. 

The FIS team is dedicated to removing any barriers families might face when accessing services. Whether you require additional support with family or finances, or are struggling with mental health, the FIS newsletter ensures you have the information you need to move forward. 

Sign up for the FIS newsletter today and unlock a world of family support delivered right to your inbox: 

Don't miss out on this valuable resource! Sign up for the Family Information Service newsletter today. 

Diabetes Path To Remission Programme information session

On Saturday, we ran a group session for the Diabetes Type 2 Path to Remission Programme, hosted by Dr Viswanathan and clinical pharmacist Mina

Earlier in the month, we invited a group of people who are eligible for the Path to Remission programme to an information session. We had around 10 patients attend the surgery on Saturday and 2 expert patients who have been on this programme for the last 12 weeks also came to share their tips and information to other eligible patients which was very helpful.

They were both presented with a book from Dr Viswanathan to thank them for their time. 

Stacey is our local engagement lead from the Momenta group and she delivered a presentation, bringing with her some samples of the soups, shakes and porridges that are on offer for the plan.

If you received an invitation to the information session but could not attend, and want more information on the course, please get in touch and we would be happy to tell you all about it!

UHCW'S patient portal now live

Did you know that the online patient portal at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust – myhealth Coventry and Warwickshire – is now live to patients across all specialties.

 

The platform was previously available exclusively for UHCW’s maternity patients but is now expanding to areas across the Trust to provide patients with access to their personal details, appointment information, clinical letters and selected blood test results.

 

UHCW patients will be able to view blood results, excluding virology and microbiology, through the portal. Patients will not be able to view scans, histology results or cancer MDTs. The only documents you will be able to access are clinical letters (from outpatient clinics or ad hoc GP letters) and in-patient discharge summaries with a 24-hour delay.

 

All blood tests, apart from tumour markers and general virology (maternity screening tests are an exception), will be available 24 hours after they are released to EPR.

 

About the platform

myhealth Coventry and Warwickshire is a UHCW specific web-based application that can be accessed on most mobile devices and computers in a web browser; a separate app is not required.

 

When patients are scheduled a new outpatient appointment at UHCW, they will automatically receive a text message inviting them to join the patient portal. All they need to do is click on the secure link and follow the instructions as prompted.

 Please see further instructions below: