Wilsden Medical Practice

14/07/2026

**** POWERCUT****
Important Information for Our Patients

Many of you will be aware that Wilsden and Cullingworth have experienced a number of unexpected power outages over the past 12 months. These interruptions have affected homes, businesses and community organisations across our villages, and as your local GP practice, we share in the frustration that these repeated outages cause.

Unfortunately, some of these power cuts have also affected the temperature-controlled storage of our vaccines and immunisations.
Strict national guidance requires us to dispose of any vaccines where the cold chain may have been compromised, even when the loss of power is completely outside of our control. Patient safety must always come first, and we cannot administer vaccines unless we are confident they remain safe and fully effective.

This has, regrettably, resulted in some vaccination appointments being cancelled at short notice while we wait for replacement stock to be delivered. We fully appreciate how frustrating and inconvenient this is, particularly for patients who have experienced more than one cancelled appointment. We know many of you arrange time off work, childcare or other commitments to attend these appointments, and we are genuinely sorry when we have to cancel them.

We do everything we reasonably can to minimise the impact, including holding vaccine stock across both our Wilsden and Cullingworth sites wherever possible. Despite these contingency measures, there are occasions when replacement supplies cannot be obtained quickly enough for all planned appointments to go ahead.

Like many local residents and businesses, we are extremely concerned by the frequency of these power outages and the disruption they continue to cause. We will be raising these concerns formally with Northern Powergrid and highlighting the significant impact that repeated power interruptions are having on the delivery of essential NHS services within our community.

Thank you for your continued patience, understanding and kindness towards our team. While these situations are outside of our control, we remain committed to rebooking affected patients as quickly as replacement vaccine supplies become available and to providing safe, high-quality care for everyone in our community.

17/03/2026

You may have seen that measles has been in the news again, following outbreaks in parts of the country. Measles is one of the most highly infectious diseases and spreads rapidly among people who are unvaccinated. It is an unpleasant illness and can sometimes cause very serious complications.
We are urging parents and carers to check their child’s vaccination status and ensure they are fully protected against measles by having the MMR or MMRV vaccine.
Despite the availability of a safe and highly effective vaccine, measles remains a significant global health risk. In 2023, an estimated 107,500 measles-related deaths occurred worldwide, mostly among unvaccinated or under vaccinated children under the age of five.
Measles spreads very easily, particularly among children who have not had the MMR or MMRV vaccine:
• Nine out of ten unvaccinated children can catch measles from an infected classmate
• One in five children who catch measles will require a hospital visit
• One in fifteen will experience serious complications, such as meningitis or sepsis
• Children who are not fully vaccinated and who come into contact with measles may be excluded from school or nursery for up to 21 days under public health guidance, meaning they could miss school if they are not protected
We strongly advise you to:
• Check you and your child’s vaccination record
• Make sure your child has had two doses of MMR or MMRV
• Contact your GP surgery as soon as possible if you or your child is not fully vaccinated
Did you know? Parents not wishing their child to have the porcine gelatine-containing MMR/MMRV vaccine can ask their GP practice for an alternative option.
Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from measles and to help prevent disruption to your home life, work and to your child’s education. If you need further information or support, your GP practice will be happy to assist.

We are seeing a rise in measles cases in parts of England.

Vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from serious illness.

We’re encouraging parents to check their children are up to date with their vaccinations. Check your child's red book or speak to their GP practice.

More information: http://nhs.uk/mmr