Devon’s residents are being urged to “Get Boosted Now” as part of an urgent national appeal to give themselves better protection from the Omicron Covid-19 variant; which is much more transmissible than previous variants.
The NHS in Devon is working to increase the number of vaccine clinics and extend opening hours following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night (12 December) of the Omicron emergency booster mission. People in Devon are being thanked for their patience while those arrangements to increase capacity are being put in place.
Local GPs and healthcare professionals have begun enrolling participants across Cornwall to a first-of-its-kind clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of new oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19 - which can be safely taken at home.
People from across other areas of the South West, including Devon and Somerset, will be invited to take part in the coming weeks.
The Platform Adaptive trial of NOvel antiviRals for eArly treatMent of covid-19 In the Community (PANORAMIC) trial will rapidly assess a range of purpose-designed antiviral treatments which could help...
The NHS in Devon is encouraging local people to use NHS 111 online to get urgent medical advice quickly as we enter what England’s top doctor says will be a ‘winter like no other’.
Patients should continue to come forward for care and are still being encouraged to speak to a pharmacist, GP or call 111 if they need urgent advice.
NHS 111 online can direct patients to urgent treatment centres and walk in clinics, GP surgeries, pharmacies and emergency dental services and, if needed, a call from a healthcare professional.
In just one year more than 2.2 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been given across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay at 43 vaccine clinic sites and over 160 outreach clinics. Over the last year people have been vaccinated in sports grounds, pharmacies, pubs, hospitals, leisure centres and places of worship.
The most recent published figures show that between the start of the vaccination programme, on 8 December 2020, and 28 November 2021 968,574 first doses have been given in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, 896,315 second doses and 368,781 third and booster doses. A total of 2,234,...
Over-50s in Devon are being urged to take up their FREE NHS flu vaccine as experts warn of a significant flu outbreak this winter.
Flu is not just a heavy cold. It is a highly infectious disease, causing fever, chills, headache, aches and pains in the joints and muscles, and extreme tiredness. It can’t be treated by antibiotics because it is a virus.
Healthy individuals usually recover within two to seven days but, for some, it can increase the risk of developing more serious illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia, or can make existing conditions worse. The virus can...
This week the UK government announced the booster programme is being significantly expanded to fight the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has announced that current vaccines are likely to be at least partially effective against the Omicron variant and that having the booster offers a much higher antibody response against Covid-19.
Around 50,000 people are already being vaccinated against Covid-19 each week in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. The NHS is working to increase this capacity following the announcement that the booster...
As winter approaches, doctors in Devon are reminding people that by practising self-care, they can help themselves and reduce the need to use busy NHS services.
Self-care involves helping people to better understand how to look after minor illnesses or long-term conditions, and how to prevent ill health by choosing healthy options for good physical and mental wellbeing.
Dr Alex Degan, NHS Devon’s Primary Care Medical Director, said: “It is really important to look after yourself, especially as we are getting closer to winter, with both flu and Covid-19 likely to both be...
Pregnant women in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay are being urged to have the flu vaccine now to protect themselves and their unborn baby from the deadly illness.
The UK Health Security Agency has warned that there could be a significant flu surge this winter coinciding with continuing or rising COVID-19 cases.
Clara Southby, Interim Maternity Matron for Community and Outpatients, at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust said: “Having flu when pregnant can put you and your baby at a greater risk of severe complications, so we would encourage anyone who is pregnant to have...
Video and phone appointments held at hospitals across Devon saved patients an estimated 13.5 million miles of travelling; equivalent to circumnavigating the globe 550 times.
The NHS also estimates that, in the 12 months to 23 August 2021, the benefits of running virtual appointments also saved patients more than 277,679 hours in travel time and staying at home led to a reduction of over 2,500 tonnes of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Reducing air pollution through patients making fewer car journeys can also directly impact on people’s health.
People requiring clinically urgent blood tests have been assured they will still be able to have them as surgeries and health care settings are faced with a shortage of equipment used for carrying out blood tests.
A global supply issue is affecting the availability nationally of the blood tubes used for blood tests and this is now having an impact on the number of tests that are being carried out.
The shortage means surgeries and other healthcare settings are having to restrict the number of blood tests they can carry out and reduce non-clinically urgent testing....
