WINCHESTER doctors surgeries are urging patients to make sure they get their flu jabs.

The Winchester City Primary Care Network (PCN) of all three GP surgeries. St Pauls, St Clements and Friarsgate have over the last 18 months increasingly worked together to deliver better healthcare.

They say the priority is a flu campaign to ensure patients receive the jab as soon as possible.

The PCN says it is important that patients are aware that flu will still be circulating as well as Covid and it is important to prevent concurrent infection.

Patients have started to receive invitations to book a flu vaccination from all three practices and are being urged to book at the earliest opportunity.

This year, more than any other, patients are urged to book with their surgery. Flu appointments can be booked online via Patient Access or the NHS app. Alternatively people can telephone their practice to make the booking.

GP Alex Rose said: “Patient safety is of paramount importance and with social distancing protocols in place and access to the full medical record of each patient we are uniquely placed to achieve this. The message is clear – Help us to Help You and book your Flu with your GP Practice now!”

Marc Dryden, managing partner of Friarsgate, said: “Working at scale collaboratively makes so much sense for clinicians and patients alike. Working this way allows us all to share best practice and deliver better outcomes for everyone.

“Over the last few months you are likely to have noticed a difference in the way things are done in general practice as we manage the Covid-19 pandemic. Badger Farm was used as a ‘Hot Site’ to see all patients displaying Covid-like symptoms from all three practices. This meant we could keep our main surgeries as ‘cold sites’.

“We are extremely grateful to our 60,000 patients who adapted so quickly too many new ways of working in this period.”