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We are receiving calls/emails from patients concerned over the current Meningitis outbreak and wish to provide the following information. The only people who need attention are as follows:

1. Symptomatic for meningitis: fever, non blanching rash, headache and neck stiffness (as we normally would)
2. Anyone who visited 'Club Chemistry' between 5/3 and 7/3
3. University of Kent Students
They all need review and antibiotics.

Further information is available below.
Meningitis Outbreak - Important information
Stay informed about the meningitis outbreak and make sure your child’s vaccinations are up to date. Learn the key symptoms to watch for and simple steps to help reduce the risk.

Latest update: 17 March 2026
Awareness - What’s happening?
There is a meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent.
UKHSA is working to contain the outbreak and is giving prophylaxis antibiotics to close contacts.
No new advice has been issued about accessing the Meningitis B vaccine, known as MenB, for the wider public.

Who decides vaccine recommendations?
All vaccine recommendations in the UK are monitored and decided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
The JCVI reviews all cases of vaccine preventable disease, national data, and emerging risks.
Currently, there are no plans to offer the MenB vaccine outside of the routine infant schedule.

What protection does my secondary aged child already have?
Children receive Hib/MenC at 1 year of age, which provides early protection.
In Year 9, young people are offered the MenACWY vaccine.
MenACWY provides protection during the later school years and into work/college/university, where risk is higher.

This means most secondary school aged children already have strong protection against the meningococcal strains of greatest concern in teens and young adults.
Check your child’s vaccine history

We are encouraging parents of young people to proactively check their child's vaccination history and ensure they are fully up to date with the UK schedule, especially their year 9 vaccines.

You can check your child’s vaccination record by:
Looking in your child’s Red Book
Asking your GP surgery
Looking for emails from Cinnamon Digital (school e consent system)

If your child is of secondary school age, and any vaccines are missing, please contact your local Berkshire Healthcare School Immunisation Team to book a school or clinic appointment:

West Berkshire: westschoolimms@berkshire.nhs.uk
East Berkshire: eastschoolimms@berkshire.nhs.uk
Routine vaccines to stay protected

Make sure your child is up to date with:
MenACWY (Year 9)
Td/IPV booster (Year 9)

To view the Full vaccine schedule, visit the NHS website.
Visit NHS website

Know the symptoms of meningitis
Seek urgent medical help if you notice:

Rash that doesn’t fade with pressure
High fever
Severe headache
Stiff neck
Vomiting
Cold hands or feet
Confusion

Visit NHS to learn more about meningitis
Reduce the risk
Wash hands regularly
Don’t share drinks, vapes, or cigarettes

Future Protected Learning Time (PLT) Dates (Oxfordshire)

Thursday 2nd April 2026 - Open until 18.30

Good Friday 3rd April 2026 - Closed

Saturday 4th April 2026 - Closed

Easter Sunday 5th April 2026 - Closed

Easter Monday 6th April 2026 - Closed

Tuesday 7th April 2026 - Open from 08.00

Thursday 2nd April 2026 - Open until 18.30

Good Friday 3rd April 2026 - Closed

Saturday 4th April 2026 - Closed

Easter Sunday 5th April 2026 - Closed

Easter Monday 6th April 2026 - Closed

Tuesday 7th April 2026 - Open from 0800

If you are advised to book a blood test by the hospital (from an outpatient clinic), please ensure that you bring the labels with you.

We CAN NOT do the blood test without the labels and we will then need to ask you to rebook your appointment.

In order to prevent missing reviews or updates from the Surgery, please ensure that your email/mobile number on your records are up to date.

Positive changes to the way we do Annual Reviews

We are changing the way we do annual reviews by using a system called Medlink. We have considered long and hard how to deal with the confines of the building and the pressure it applies to our staff and patients. We were also concerned that our recall strategy was not robust and some patients are called in more than once as they have more than one condition and we needed something streamlined and more of a ‘one stop shop’.  We have also become aware from patient feedback that many patients are well, have no issues with their medication and are very happy to continue as they are, as long as we are also happy and have checked up on their progress.  We have therefore looked at a way of ensuring we check on all our long-term condition patients annually and ensure those patients who need more intervention are prioritised and are only called into the surgery once.

We have therefore chosen MedLink, which is an easy-to use online system that helps patients stay on top of their health from their own home. It helps in the management of long-term condition such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension (and many more) and we think that MedLink makes the process simpler and more convenient.

How does it work?

The surgery identifies patients who are due for a review and MedLink sends them a secure link by text, email or letter. This link takes patients directly to their personalised health review, with questions tailored to their care and condition.  You can complete it at a time that suits you, and the questions are clear and easy to follow.  Everything you share is sent securely to your healthcare team here at the surgery and automatically added to your medical record, so your doctor or nurse can review it the same way that they review your information during a face-to-face review. This information helps the clinician team understand how well your condition is being managed and whether you might need any additional support. MedLink supports a wide range of care areas, including asthma, hypertension, diabetes, and many more other long-term conditions.

Why Have Cropredy Surgery Chosen MedLink?

We understand that life can be busy and it’s not always easy to visit the surgery. Using MedLink gives patients more flexibility and control over care, without losing the connection with the healthcare team. It’s secure, simple to use, and designed to make managing patients health easier and more conveniently, both for the patient and practice. Our goal is to ensure that patients who need more support receive it, while those who are able to manage their health well can continue to do so with minimal disruption to their daily lives. 

A Medical Examiner is an independent senior doctor. Their role is to review the medical records of your loved one and occasionally have a discussion with the GP to agree the cause of death for the Medical Certificate (MCCD). Once the Medical Examiner Service has received the referral from the GP,you will be contacted by the Medical Examiner Officer (MEO). They will offer their condolences and give you the opportunity to ask any questions, raise any concerns you may have about the care your loved one received and/or highlight excellence. During the conversation, they will share with you the proposed cause of death that the GP and Medical Examiner have agreed or, if a Coroner’s referral is required, they will advise you what will happen next.

If they are able to issue the Medical Certificate they will advise you:
• When the certificate has been completed
• How Registration Services will contact you tobook your appointment to collect the death certificate/s

View a guide for families experiencing bereavement

Useful contact details:

Medical Examiner Office
Tel: 01865 221 939
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
(excluding weekends and bank holidays)

OUH Switchboard
Tel: 0300 304 7777

Oxford Coroner’s Office
Tel: 01865 815 020

Oxford Registration Services
Tel: 01865 519 800

OUH PALS
Tel: 01865 221 473

We are aware there has been some recent speculation regarding the surgery building and the Claydon Road development. We would like to reassure all our patients that the surgery building is not 'condemned'. Following the recent roof repairs, it is now structurally sound. It is no secret that the current building is too small for us to accommodate all our staff and our growing patient list. It is unlikely that any new building will be completed by the time the lease on our current premises expires.

It is the intention of the partners, who hold that lease, to seek an extension on this and professional advice is being sought to facilitate this. The lease does not belong to the NHS and they are not involved in the renewal or extension of it. We would like to reassure everyone that the future of the surgery is as important to everyone who works here as we believe it is to all those of you who use our service. The surgery is not in jeopardy, and we are confident that a solution will be found to allow us to continue to provide excellent quality care to all our valued patients for many years to come.

You may have heard on the news that from June 2025, GPs will be able to prescribe the weight loss medication Mounjaro (Tirzepatide). What the news may not have explained completely is that the prescribing rules for GPs around this medication are very stringent indeed, so much so that very few patients will qualify, at least in first few years.

The criteria are:

BMI over 40 or 37.5 for people from minority ethnic backgrounds
and at least 4 of the following:

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Type 2 Diabetes

Dyslipidaemia  (Dyslipidaemia is a broad term describing a number of conditions, including hypercholesterolaemia, hyperlipidaemia and mixed dyslipidaemia, in which disturbances in fat metabolism lead to changes in the concentrations of lipids in the blood.)

Established cardiovascular disease (Cardiovascular disease - NHS)

Diagnosed sleep apnoea

Patients that do qualify will be required to be referred to and engage with behavioural support over a long period of time and will be monitored regularly at the practice for weight loss and general health and well-being, with specific weight loss targets in the first 6 months.  

Please could we ask you not to contact the practice regarding being prescribed this medication as it is extremely unlikely that you will qualify given the very strict rules that have been applied.  We will contact any patients that falls within the prescribing criteria. 

We are experiencing an increasing volume of enquiries relating to the private prescription of weight loss injections (such as Mounjaro, Wegovy).

If you are seeking these treatments privately, please be aware that the decision to prescribe rests with the prescriber and therefore our clinicians will not advise or give an opinion on your suitability for the treatment. It is up to the prescriber to be satisfied that the treatment is safe and appropriate. In order to do so they may require access to information from your medical record. In this instance, we would advise you to present your healthcare record from the NHS app or the EMIS Patient access app.

The Patient Access app now uses the same sign-on as the NHS app, but has the additional functionality that it can generate a PDF summary of your medical record which will include a list of your medical conditions and medication (the NHS app cannot yet do this). If this is unsuccessful you can request a 'patient summary' by sending an email to bobicb-ox.cropredy.surgery@nhs.net. This will then be printed and can be collected from the surgery. This option will take longer than using the app.

We are aware that patients are often told by hospitals to 'get a letter from the GP' so that their appointment can be expedited. This is in fact unnecessary and creates an additional administrative burden on our already stretched GP services.

As already indicated above, hospitals are contractually obliged to communicate directly with patients and respond directly and appropriately to their queries, including specifically questions about appointments. Failure to do so represents a breach of their contract.

Please be aware that simply waiting a longer time than you would wish does not make your request urgent. Unfortunately, in the current situation, everyone is waiting longer. We cannot write letters to expedite your appointment for this reason.

If, however, your condition is actively deteriorating, we advise you to speak to your specialist so that they can assess if you need to be seen sooner. We do find that an initial response might still be 'get a letter from your GP', however we are finding that we are merely reporting exactly what you have told us and it seems more sensible for patient and consultant to have a direct conversation. Should you continue to have difficulty in accessing your consultant, we advise that you contact the PALS department of the hospital for advice and assistance.

The UKHSA, the organisation in England responsible for public health and infectious diseases, has been monitoring the number of cases and the spread of Mpox since it was first detected in the UK.

It has advised that pre-exposure vaccination against Mpox should now be offered to those at greatest risk of infection to help control the recent outbreak of the virus.

The NHS is following UKHSA guidance on prioritising those at greatest risk of exposure and local services are contacting people who are a priority for vaccination. If you are eligible for a Mpox vaccine you will be contacted directly. You do not need to contact the NHS.

If you think you may have come into contact with someone who has monkeypox or who is feeling unwell or has symptoms that could be consistent with Mpox infection, limit contact with others and contact your local sexual health clinic or telephone NHS111. Please do not visit A&E or the GP.

Find out more at Mpox – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

We are proud to be ranked 61 out of 6307 surgeries in England in the recent 2024 GP Patient Survey for % who say overall experience of the surgery is good.

And a fantastic 100% positive rating for helpfulness of our reception and adminstration team. We are absolutely delighted and so very proud of our wonderful team who are always here for you.

Shared Care Prescribing with Private Providers

After careful consideration Cropredy Surgery has decided to align with other local practices as well as NHS and BMA guidance and as of 1^st September 2024 we will no longer agree to ANY shared care prescribing with private providers. Existing arrangements will be honoured for the foreseeable future but we retain the right to review this policy. This change will apply to both adults and children.

We are sorry to any patients who may be affected by this change in policy. It is required in order to protect our patients from missing out on necessary specialist input that is required when taking certain high risk medications. While highly skilled and experienced, our GPs are not trained in managing particular medications without the expertise of our secondary care colleagues.

We are aware that NHS waiting times at present are longer than would be ideal. We will still be happy to refer to the private sector for diagnosis. However, if any recommended treatment is ‘shared care’ on the Oxfordshire formulary, to which we must adhere, then we will no longer be in a position to prescribe and treatment must be sourced from your private specialist on an ongoing basis, or until care can be transferred to a secondary care NHS service. Should you wish your private specialist to refer you to NHS services they ARE able to do this and you do not need to return to your GP to request a referral. Such requests will be passed back to your specialist. Due to capacity and workload we are also unable to undertake any monitoring requests from private or ‘right to choose’ providers.

Please be aware that at present no referrals are being accepted by Adult ADHD services within Oxfordshire and referrals made under the ‘right to choose’ scheme will be for diagnosis only, in accordance with LMC guidance. For complaints relating specifically to this matter please contact: bobicb-ox-plannedcare@nhs.net or your local MP as this is a commissioning issue and not something that we have any control over.

Prescription of sedatives for patients attending hospital, dental appointments, imaging investigations or other procedures

We are sometimes are asked to prescribe 'a low dose sedative' for patients attending hospital or dental appointments, for imaging investigations or other procedures. These are the reasons we do not prescribe this medication:

Small doses of benzodiazepines such at 2mg diazepam are probably sub-therapeutic for most adults for any effective sedation. Conversely anxiolytics can have an idiosyncratic response in patients, and even very small doses can cause increased agitation in some subsets of patients.
A patient may take a sedative 'an hour' before their assumed procedure, to then attend the hospital to find their procedure has been delayed, therefore the timing of the anxiolytic being sub optimal.

GPs are not regularly involved, skilled, trained or appraised in sedation skills. All hospital consultants, both those requesting imaging and those providing it, have access to the same prescribing abilities as GPs. If a patient needs a certain medication to enable an investigation to go ahead, they are just as well positioned to provide a prescription, either through the hospital pharmacy or a hospital FP10.

Sedated patients should be regularly monitored, and I have been made aware of a case where a GP-provided sedative was given, the patient not monitored, and subsequently had a respiratory arrest in an MRI machine.

The Royal College of Radiologists‘ own guidelines on sedation for imaging makes no mention of GP involvement or provision of low dose anxiolytics and stresses the importance of experienced well trained staff involved and the monitoring of sedated patients: This is the web link to find out more

We maintain that we are not being 'obstructive’, we are adhering to our duty of care to provide safe, consistent, and appropriate care for our patients.

We would be grateful if you could discuss with the relevant specialist who has requested this, to prescribe as they see fit.

Healthwatch Oxfordshire is surveying patients and carers about their experiences with hospital discharge. If you would like to participate, please followo the links below.

https://healthwatchoxfordshire.co.uk/news/leaving-hospital/  (covering information)
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/leavinghospital/  (direct link to the survey)

If you would like a paper copy of this survey to complete, would like it in another format or language, or would prefer to speak to someone about this, please contact Healthwatch on 01865 520520 or at hello@healthwatchoxfordshire.co.uk

Thunderstorm Asthma occurs when high winds draw pollen particles into the higher atmosphere. When the pollen granules contact with water, they break down into smaller particles that when inhaled, can get deeper down into the smaller airways in the lungs and trigger asthma symptoms. Some airborne allergens involved in thunderstorm asthma are grass and tree pollens and mould spores. More than five million people in the UK have asthma and changes in weather, pollen, air pollution and thunderstorms are all triggers for the condition.

Data from UKHSA shows that thunderstorms coincide with an unseasonal spike in people ending up in hospital with their asthma. During the thunderstorms we experienced in June last year, those who were particularly affected were in the 15 to 44-year-old age bracket. This led to the busiest day the Oxford A&E department had ever experienced. People living with both asthma and hay fever should be advised to take any antihistamines and steroid nasal
sprays as needed to help control their pollen allergy, but it is essential for people with asthma to take their preventer inhalers as prescribed in the days preceding storms.

During stormy weather and thunderstorms, the following advice is based on recommendations made by Allergy UK-
• If possible, stay indoors before, during and after a storm, with windows closed.
• If outdoors, wear a mask to reduce pollen exposure.
• Avoid known triggers which may make symptoms worse.
• Have up-to-date Asthma Action Plan that can be referred to help identify when asthma is deteriorating.
• Stay vigilant to weather forecast alerts for high pollen and sign up for thunderstorm alerts.
• Check local council air quality pages for pollution hot spots and action being taken to try and improve air quality.
• Keep a reliever inhaler with you so it’s ready to use.

Thunderstorms can trigger asthma attacks. If you have asthma use your preventer inhaler regularly in the days before a forecast thunderstorm and keep your reliever inhaler with you before and during the storm.

We are delighted to announce that we raised an amazing £100 in donations for the lovely Christmas knitted novelties.  All the donations raised have been sent to the Katherine House Hospice.  Thank you to everyone who donated again this year.