Winter newsletter 2025
Last Updated: Friday, 12 December 2025
🎄 Season’s Greetings from All of Us
We’d like to wish all our patients a safe, healthy, and happy festive season. Thank you for your continued support throughout the year. Our team is here to help you stay well this winter.
🦠Flu Cases Are Rising – Protect Yourself
Flu activity is increasing across the UK, and cases are expected to peak over the coming weeks.
- Eligible for a free NHS flu vaccine? If you’re not already protected book your appointment now to protect yourself and those around you.
- Not eligible? Many local pharmacies offer private flu vaccinations for a small fee - worth considering for peace of mind.
Getting vaccinated reduces your risk of serious illness and helps protect vulnerable family members.
❄️ Winter Health Tips
- Keep warm and hydrated—especially important for older adults and young children.
- Wash hands regularly to prevent the spread of flu and norovirus.
- If you feel unwell, rest and seek advice early if symptoms worsen.
- Look out for vulnerable neighbours and family members.
⚕️Self-Care for Winter Illnesses
As we head into the winter months, we expect to see an increase in common winter illnesses such as coughs, colds and sore throats. For advice on how to manage these at home, please visit the Self-Care Forum. We have links to 24 common conditions on our digital front Door which you can visit here: https://blinx.uk/iHo9n
You'll find a wealth of information and resources to help you and your family stay well this winter, often without the need for an appointment.
🎅 Access to Care Over Christmas Bank Holidays
Our practice will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day, but help is still available:
- NHS 111 – Call or visit 111.nhs.uk for urgent advice.
- Pharmacy Opening Times – Many pharmacies will have reduced hours; there are some pharmacies open on the bank holidays, you can view them here.
- Emergency Care – Dial 999 for life-threatening emergencies.
Please plan ahead and make sure you have enough medication – both prescribed and for simple home care – before the holidays.
💊 Repeat Prescriptions – Order a little bit early
To avoid running out of medication during the festive period, please request your repeat prescriptions week commencing 15/12/25. Read more here: https://www.cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk/latest/news/order-your-repeat-prescriptions-in-time-for-christmas
📱 Digital Services Reminder
Save time by using the NHS App or our online services to:
- Order prescriptions
- View your health record
👩🏾‍⚕️Staff Update
We have welcomed Dr Meghna Patel to our team, covering Dr Williams' maternity leave. She has settled in really well and is enjoying working alongside the team here. You can read more about her experience on our Meet the Team page.
🌊 The flood!
Patients who tried to contact us on Friday 5th December will be aware that we had a major incident when our hot water storage tank developed a fault with the inlet valve sensor, causing mains pressure water to flood from the loft space through the ceilings flooding the practice, causing us to need to close. We would like to thank our patients for their patience as we sought to signpost them to suitable services whilst we were closed, and our friends at neighbouring surgeries who were incredibly supportive, some of whom came around straightaway armed with mops and buckets!
It has caused a couple of our clinical rooms to be out of action for a short period whilst things dry out and we have had to shuffle our clinicians around but we were otherwise open for business as normal on Monday 8th. Repair work will be carried out over the coming weeks.