Covid-19 Vaccination at Firrhill Medical Centre
Across Lothian, vaccination of the following groups of people is taking place at GP Practices:
- People over 80 years of age
- People aged 75-79
- People who are clinically extremely vulnerable (shielding)If you or your relative or someone you care for is in this groups you / they will receive an invitation from us, by phone to have your vaccination here at the practice. We understand that there is concern that some people in this cohort have not yet been invited for vaccination at the practice.
- Invitations to mass vaccination centres are being administered nationally and are separate from the GP programme. Those letters can be sent out quite far ahead of appointments. Our contact with you will be much closer to the date of your appointment as our clinic dates are arranged when each delivery of vaccine arrives.
- Other arrangements are being provided by the health Board for patients who are house bound
- You may also be concerned that someone you know in a lower priority group has been invited to be vaccinated at a mass vaccination centre ahead of your own vaccination appointment.
However, we can assure you we are vaccinating as fast as vaccine supplies allow and everyone eligible for vaccination here will be invited to attend as soon as possible.
We are very grateful for your patience while you wait your turn.
For more information about the vaccination programme please see
NHS Lothian’s Vaccine Hub on their website
Thank You,
Firrhill Medical Centre
Please do not phone us regarding this as our phone lines are already very busy. We will contact you
Other arrangements are being provided by the health Board for patients who are house bound
Due to the current outbreak of Coronavirus it has been necessary to make changes to the way we usually work. This is to reduce the footfall into the surgery in order that we can protect our vulnerable patients and staff. Without our staff we will be unable to continue to provide a service. Please remember that our staff and families are also affected by this and there may be times where staff have to self isolate which puts added pressure on the remaining and often skeleton staff. I am sure you will all remember the days of the packed waiting room with standing room only! At the moment due to social distancing rules we can only accommodate 6 patients in our waiting room at anytime. We have marked off seats with the GP and nurses names and you will be asked to sit in that seat. If the seat if already taken you will be asked to wait outside until it becomes free.
It has also therefore been necessary to implement the following changes:
We no longer take bookings for appointments. If you have an urgent medical problem please call at 8am and we will arrange for a GP to call you back and if this cannot be dealt with over the telephone you may be offered a video consultation or asked to attend the surgery. If you have a medical problem for which you would normal book a routine appointment you can book a routine slot to receive a call from the doctor. If at this time the GP feels you need to be seen you will be given an appointment to attend the surgery. We recognise that this isn’t always convenient for patients so from September 22nd our eConsult service has gone live where you can contact us online. The eConsult service will allow you to:
Request advice and treatment from the practice online
Get self-help advice for hundreds of common conditions
Nurse appointments. – we are no longer taking bookings for non urgent services.
Week beginning 30th November our incredible Reception Team answered 983 telephone calls. The GP’s and Nurses dealt with 258 telephone consultations, 30 eConsults and saw 141 patients in the surgery.
If you have been asked to attend for an appointment please attend appointments alone and do not enter the Practice until your appointment time. We would also ask that if you’re able, to please wear a face covering. This could be a scarf, bandanna or disposable and non disposable mask. Just remember it should cover both your nose and your mouth. Please sit 2 metres apart from other patients in the waiting area.
Prescriptions- please order online via our website or through your preferred pharmacy. Once ready we will send your prescription to your preferred pharmacy for collection. Due to the current pressures on the Practice and local pharmacies you should allow 7-10 days before collection from your pharmacy or in some cases for delivery. We will not be processing prescriptions early so only request a maximum of 2 weeks before it is due.
Please do not phone the surgery for any general enquiries regarding coronavirus. Information can be found online at NHS Inform.
We thank you for your patience during this extremely uncertain time.
Please note that the surgery will now close every Wednesday lunchtime between 12.15pm and 1.15pm for Staff Training. In the event of a medical emergency please hang up and dial 999. If you have an urgent medical problem which cannot wait until the surgery re-opens please call 07871065935. This number is not manned at any other time and we will not respond to any messages left during our normal opening hours.
CORONAVIRUS
Stay at home if you have coronavirus symptoms
Symptoms of coronavirus
The most common symptoms are new:
- continuous cough
- fever/high temperature (37.8C or greater)
- loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste (anosmia)
A new continuous cough is where you:
- have a new cough that’s lasted for an hour
- have had 3 or more episodes of coughing in 24 hours
- are coughing more than usual
A high temperature is feeling hot to the touch on your chest or back (you don’t need to measure your temperature). You may feel warm, cold or shivery.
Some people will have more serious symptoms, including pneumonia or difficulty breathing, which might require admission to hospital.
Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.
If you have Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms please check http://nhsinform.scot/coronavirus for advice. If you don’t have symptoms and are looking for general information phone the free helpline on 0800 028 2816. The helpline is open from 8.00am to 10.00pm each day.
How long to stay at home
- If you’ve developed symptoms (however mild), stay at home for 10 days from the start of your symptoms and arrange to be tested. Do not go to your GP, pharmacy or hospital.You should remain at home until you get the result of the test, and then follow the advice you will be given based on the result.
If you live with other people and have symptoms, they’ll need to stay at home for 14 days from the start of your symptoms even if they don’t have symptoms themselves.
If they develop symptoms within the 14 days, they need to stay at home for 10 days from the day their symptoms started and arrange to be tested. They should do this even if it takes them over the 14-day isolation period.
Your whole household should follow our stay at home guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection.
If you have a medical emergency, phone 999 and tell them you have COVID-19 symptoms
Get an isolation note to give to your employer
You can send an isolation note to your employer as proof you need to stay off work because of coronavirus.
You don’t need to get a note from a GP.
Telephone Enquiries
If your query is non urgent, please avoid calling on Mondays and call after 10am Tuesday-Friday.
Please do not call to check if your prescription is ready before 2pm and if you use a regular pharmacy, please check with them first.
Please call for test results after 11am.
Thank you.
Welcome to the Firrhill Medical Centre. We are located within the Allermuir Health Centre. As you enter the Health Centre Firrhill Practice is situation on the ground floor on the right hand side.
Our telephone number is 0131 441 3119
Use the buttons below, or the menu above, to access information about our services.