Finchampstead Surgery

04/06/2026

🐾💖
Celebrating National Hug a Cat Day with extra cuddles! 🐱
One hug, endless purrs.
Happy National Hug a Cat Day! 🐾💖

21/05/2026

🚫 Please do not dispose of filled dog waste bags 🐶💩 in the recycling bins ♻️ at the surgery.

This is highly unacceptable and would result in the refuse collectors refusing to empty these bins 🚛❌

These bins are strictly for the use of the surgery only and are not intended for public use. Thank you for your cooperation 🙏

23/04/2026

📢 Important Notice: Ongoing IT System Issues

We are currently dealing with a regional IT network problem 💻⚠️, which is affecting some of our practice systems. This may result in delays to appointments, prescriptions, referrals, test results, and telephone or online responses.

Please be assured that our IT support team is actively investigating 🔍 and working to restore full service as quickly as possible. It remains our top priority to continue providing safe patient care throughout this period.

🧾 What this means for our patients

- Appointments and requests may take longer than usual to process ⏳
- Some services may need to be managed manually or rescheduled 🔄
- Our team may need to verify information more than once during your contact with us ✔️

💙 Your support makes a difference

We understand how frustrating delays can be, and we truly appreciate your patience and understanding 🙏 while these issues are ongoing.

We kindly remind all patients that our practice staff are doing their best under challenging circumstances. Please treat our team with respect and kindness when contacting or visiting the practice. Aggressive, abusive, or disrespectful behaviour 🚫 will not be tolerated.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this period. We will provide updates here as and when more information becomes available 📢.

02/04/2026

🌷🐣 Easter Bank Holiday 2026 - Pharmacy Opening Hours 🐣🌷

Dear patients,

If you need support from a pharmacy over the Easter Bank Holiday, please use the link below to view pharmacy opening hours across Berkshire West 💊👇

🔗 https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.england.nhs.uk%2Fsouth-east%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F45%2F2026%2F03%2FBerkshire-Easter-BH-2026-Pharmacy-Opening-Times.pdf&data=05%7C02%7Cnaeema.kausar%40nhs.net%7Cd7d35db9d8f044b8406b08de909fc91c%7C37c354b285b047f5b22207b48d774ee3%7C0%7C0%7C639107213117011149%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=X06s07xmJHxWDEil8Vvc9SgwNNuiO%2B5nRDSmhcVjeoQ%3D&reserved=0

The pharmacies listed should be open as shown; however, details are correct at the time of publishing and may be subject to change.

📞 We strongly advise contacting the pharmacy before attending to confirm they are open and have your medication available.

Take care and have a Happy Easter 💛

17/03/2026

📢 We are currently receiving a high volume of enquiries about the Men B (meningococcal group B) vaccine.

Please note:
• ❌ This vaccine is not provided by schools or GP surgeries
• ❌ It is not currently available on the NHS for teenagers
• 👶 It is only routinely offered on the NHS to babies under the age of 2

💉 If you would like the Men B vaccine for a teenager or anyone over 2 years old, this must be arranged privately through clinics such as Boots, Superdrug Health, or any other private vaccination provider.

🏥 Unfortunately, we are unable to provide this vaccine at our GP surgery.

Thank you for your understanding.

30/01/2026

🚫 Zero Tolerance Policy – Notice to Patients

We are committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and professional environment for our staff and patients. Aggressive, abusive, threatening, or disrespectful behaviour will not be tolerated under any circumstances, whether this occurs 📞 over the phone or 👥 face to face.

Our receptionist team are here to help and to accommodate patient needs as much as possible. They carry out their roles with professionalism and care and do not deserve to be spoken to or treated disrespectfully in any form. Abuse towards our staff will result in appropriate action being taken in line with our Zero Tolerance Policy.

To support patient care, we provide access to:

💊 An in-house pharmacist available to discuss new or current medications
🚑 Paramedic practitioners who can assess and manage minor illnesses
🦴 MSK practitioners for musculoskeletal concerns (F2F 👥 and telephone 📞 appts available)

Regarding 🩺 GP appointments:

If your medical need is urgent, you will be accommodated at the earliest available appointment.

Due to current demand, routine GP appointments may involve a waiting period.

We expect all patients to engage with our staff respectfully and appropriately. Your cooperation is essential in ensuring we can continue to provide safe, effective care for all patients.

23/01/2026

📢 What is Jess’s Rule?

If you visit your GP with the same symptoms or health concern three times without improvement or a clear diagnosis, Jess’s Rule encourages your GP to take a fresh look at your situation.

It means:
✔ Offering a face-to-face review if previous appointments were remote
✔ Seeking a second clinical opinion
✔ Considering further tests or referral if needed

This approach, three strikes, time to rethink, is part of a new NHS initiative named in memory of Jessica Brady, to help ensure serious conditions aren’t missed or diagnosed too late.

If you’re worried your symptoms aren’t getting better, you have the right to speak up, and now there’s a clear framework to help ensure your concerns are fully considered.

24/12/2025

We wish all our patients a joyful holiday season 🎄✨ and a bright, prosperous New Year in 2026 🌟🎉

16/12/2025

We still have these available for eligible patients within that risk group. Please call our reception desk to book 📞

Thank you

📢 Flu Vaccinations Now Available

We have received a limited supply of flu vaccines.

If you are aged 65 or over and/or meet the eligibility criteria due to a chronic medical condition, please give us a call after 2pm to book your appointment.

Thank you!
Stay safe and well 💙

16/12/2025

🚨 Important Update for Our Patients 🚨

Due to extremely high demand from flu and other seasonal illnesses, our hospital and emergency services are currently under critical pressure.

To help support the NHS during this busy period, we will be reducing routine appointments and focusing on same-day urgent issues only over the Christmas period.

If your concern is routine or not urgent, we kindly ask that you consider contacting us after Christmas to book an appointment for early January.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support during this challenging time.