With the softening of pandemic restrictions we are sure that a lot of our patients will be looking forwards to abroad holidays in the near future. This is also likely to require you proving your vaccination status, and we wanted to ensure all our patients have the information they need to be able to do this.
It has recently been announced (more information can be found at www.gov.uk – Demonstrating your COVID-19 vaccination status when travelling abroad) that from 17 May 2021 the NHS App will be the quickest and easiest way to demonstrate your vaccination status, and you are advised to register with the app before booking international travel. Alternatively, if you do not have a smartphone or internet access you are being advised to call 119 and ask for a letter to be posted to you.
Crucially – the guidance is that you should not contact your GP Surgery about your COVID-19 vaccination status. GP practices cannot provide letters showing your COVID-19 vaccination status.
Information about the NHS App – and the links to download it can be found on the nhs.uk website: www.nhs.uk – NHS App.
To help you use the NHS App there is a help and support page: www.nhs.uk – NHS App help and support. Unfortunately our staff will be unable to assist you.
The NHS App is able to verify your identity without the need to contact the practice. There is detailed information about how it does this at www.nhs.uk – NHS login. However – for some patients this can take a few days. I imagine as national uptake of the NHS App increases this delay will get longer, and I therefore urge you to download and verify your identity with the NHS App as soon as possible.
There are other benefits of downloading NHS App, such as:
- Being able to order your repeat medications, plus changing the chemist that you wish it to be sent to.
- Viewing your summary medical record, or your more detailed medical record if you request this from us.
We hope this information is useful, and for those of you lucky enough to get a holiday – have a lovely time but don’t forget to check if you’re going somewhere that may need other vaccinations!
The Sidings Team