Patients of Mid Sussex Health Care doctors practice will be familiar with our annual flu vaccination programme where we facilitate large numbers of patients on a walk-in basis at Saturday morning and evening clinics across all three of our sites.

Due to Covid-19, we are having to change how we approach and manage this year’s flu season. There will be no walk-in clinics this year, ALL vaccinations will be arranged by invitation only, issued via SMS, email, phone or letter. This will allocate a time, day and location for the vaccination. We are therefore asking that patients do not turn up without having received an invite. We will be vaccinating all eligible patients in the at risk groups starting with those at highest risk. Those most at risk from the flu are also most vulnerable to Covid-19. The categories are as follows:
• Pregnant women
• Aged 6 months to 65 years in clinical risk groups: Diabetes, COPD, Learning disabilities, Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke and TIA
• Aged 65 and over
• Those in long-stay residential care homes
• Carers
• Immunocompromised patients and those living in the same house.
• Health and social care staff employed by a residential care/nursing home, registered domiciliary care provider

Commencing from the end of September and running through until November there will be various clinics running at different times of the day, evening and weekend. There will also be separate clinics for children. Where possible you will be asked to attend the surgery you are registered with. We have established a one way system to ensure that patients are not crossing one another to enter and exit the building, this may mean queuing for a while, so please bear with us. Due to the need to adhere to social distancing guidance and PPE requirements, the number of patients we can invite in at any given time is greatly reduced. However, to accommodate this there will be more flu clinic sessions made available. We respectfully ask that patients don’t call the practice to try and book an appointment for a flu vaccine, as this will impact patients trying to book urgent and routine appointments.
Protocol:
• When arriving for your appointment, please maintain social distancing at all times
• A face covering should be worn whilst queuing and at all times whilst in the building
• Please arrive at the given time for your appointment, not earlier as we are staggering the appointment times to manage the risk of contact with others as much as possible
• Please avoid bringing anyone with you unnecessarily
• To expedite the process, please wear clothing that allows easy access to the top of your arm

Access to site for Flu vaccination Hurstpierpoint:
Please make your way to the side entrance to the building, which allows access via the lower ground floor, there will be staff available to let you in and clear signage on the door. After you have had your vaccination, you will leave the building on the same level through an alternative route.
Hassocks: Access to the building will be via the side door to the right of the building as you look at it, again this will be clearly signposted and staff there to support you. There will be a one way system to clinicians and exit out of the building through the door into the car park.
Ditchling: This is the smallest of our three sites and as such allows a more limited access. The flow of patients will go along the left hand side of the building, around the back and through the rear entrance, exit will be via the front door and turn left to the car park.
The Government has advised that the flu vaccination will be rolled out to patients aged 50 – 64 years this year due to the Covid pandemic, to try and ease pressure on the NHS during the winter season. Any patients within this bracket who are in at risk groups will be invited to attend for vaccination during our first run of clinics. Once we have safely completed our at risk categories, SUBJECT TO BEING ABLE TO ACQUIRE FURTHER VACCINES – we will start inviting the new cohort of patients in the following order 60-64yrs, 55-59yrs, 50-54yrs.

Find more information from their website at https://www.midsussexhealthcare.co.uk/