Dr Curran and Partners – Clinical Update 25 May 2023

1. Covid-19 vaccination: Spring booster campaign currently underway for high-risk groups. Offers of first and second Covid-19 vaccinations for low-risk people who are currently unvaccinated will come to an end after 30 June.

2. Monkeypox (mpox) vaccination: Anyone who is eligible for mpox vaccine should come forward for vaccination. First doses of vaccine remain available until June for gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (GBMSM) at highest risk from mpox with second doses available until the end of July.

3. Patient choice: Patients will be able to choose from up to five different providers through the NHS app when they are referred by a GP for specialist treatment. In practice, this may not have much impact because many patients will choose to be referred to the closest hospital; others will know what hospital they want to use; and most of the rest will rely on the judgement of their GP.

4. Pharmacist access to GP records: Community pharmacists will be able to access and add to patient records currently maintained by GPs by the end of 2023.

5. Labour Party health policy: Labour likely to review the GP partnership model if they are elected as the next government. The Labour Party also want a much bigger focus on using digital health tools.

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