There are many common respiratory viruses seen in children, which most will have had by the time they turn 2.
However, in children under 2, the more serious consequences can lead to bronchiolitis, infection of the lower airways, that can make the airways inflamed and mucusy making it harder to breath.
The early symptoms of bronchiolitis are similar to those of a common cold, such as a runny nose and a cough.
Further symptoms can develop over the next few days, and may include:
- a slight high temperature (fever)
- a dry and persistent cough
- difficulty feeding
- rapid or noisy breathing (wheezing)
- parents should seek emergency NHS care if their child become breathless – the most common symptom of severe RSV.
If you suspect you have a coroavirus infection, please don't attend the surgery unless advised to do so. If you do attend it is important that you wear a face mask at all times.
From September 2024 patients aged 75-79 will be eligible for an RSV vaccination. We will routinely call people for vaccination as they turn 75 throughout the year. However we will be calling in everyone aged 75-79 from September, working down from age 79 to age 75. Please note that to ensure best immune response to this vaccine you should ideally not have another vaccine within 7 days.
All patients aged 65+ are eligible for a free flu vaccine this year as well as those under 65 who fall into an at-risk group.
Note: NHS England have informed us that the national flu programme for adults must not start until 3rd October this year to ensure the vaccine remains effective throughout the winter flu season (a full explanation is available here). As a result we will not be holding clinics during September and we will not be offering opportunistic vaccination during routine appointments in September. Our two mass vaccination clinics will be held on Saturday 5th and Saturday 19th October.
Autumn Covid Booster Vaccines
Booster vaccinations for the most vulnerable and at greatest risk from COVID-19 will be available from October for the following groups: :
• aged 65 years & over
• aged 6 months and over and are immunosuppressed (please click "Read More" below for further information).
If you are eligible please use the National Booking System or call 119. You can also book using the NHS App.
Locally appointments are again being offered at Hexham Mart at Tyne Green with smaller local clinics also planned.
Please do not call us to arrange a vaccination as we do not have any other way of accessing the appointments.
If you have the NHS App on your phone (or if you use Patient Access on your computer/tablet, then you can order your repeat prescriptions online without phoning the Practice. Why not give it a go?
There have been changes to the shingles vaccination programme. Unfortunately the communications around those changes is contradictory and confusing. A clarification page has now been posted on the Gov.UK website. Until they are rectified, the nationally produced leaflets and advertising say that all patients aged 65 are eligible for shingles vaccination but this is not accurate.
The situation is that patients who turn 65 on or after 1st September 2023 are eligible and we will be contacting patients to make an appointment after their birthday. If you turned 65 prior to 1st September 2023 then you will become eligible for vaccination from the age of 70. Over the next 5 years the programme will gradually bring in everyone aged 65-69 and also everyone already eligible aged 70-79.
Therefore please do not make an appointment for a vaccination unless we have contacted you as you may not be eligible, even if you are 65. We appreciate this may be frustrating but the vaccine is only available in limited quantities and we are not able to vaccinate outside of the national programme which works on date of birth and not current age in years.
To clarify, if your date of birth is 1st September 1958 to 31 August 1959 then you will become eligble for shingles vaccination when you turn 65. In addition anyone aged 70-79 is also eligible, this part of the programme is unchanged.
Updated 25/9/23
