Portsmouth City Council offers a dedicated phone number 023 9261 6708  for residents who do not have access to the internet and need support in booking a service or wish to take part in a consultation.  They are happy to help.

December 2021 alert If you are finding that pharmacies in Portsmouth have run out of COVID-19 Lateral Flow Test kits you can visit the Somerstown Central Hub asymptomatic testing centre to collect up to 2 boxes of tests (14 tests) per household.  You are encouraged to take a Lateral Flow Test test while you are collecting your kit so that the results can be included in the realtime NHS data they are collecting on the spread of COVID-19 in the city. You can find the Somerstown Central Hub on Rivers Street, Southsea PO5 4EY Open Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm and Sat 8am-12pm. Christmas and New Year opening times: 24 December: [...]

We have just heard that there are walk-in COVID-19 Booster vaccinations available today at Southsea Medical Centre until 5pm (21st Dec). Walk-in booster vaccinations are also at Southsea Medical Centre on Wednesday 22nd Dec 8am - 4.30pm, Thursday 23rd Dec 8am - 4.30pm, Friday 24th 8am - 12pm. Southsea Medical Centre is on Carlisle Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth, PO5 1AT   Please note:  if you have a booked appointment for your booster vaccination at a later date but plan to have your jab at a walk-in site please manage your booking using the NHS National Booking Service. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/  

New pathway of care to be developed to support people experiencing a needle attack We have asked Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for a pathway of care to be developed and communicated to patients when they present to an Urgent Treatment Centre, the Safe Space in Guildhall Square,  a local pharmacy, their GP practice or other local service.  This request is based on patient experience feedback we received from the family of a victim of a needle attack in late November in a Portsmouth nightclub.    While a patient pathway is being developed and communicated to the health and local services that are likely to receive questions [...]

Close contacts - what are the new rules? From this week, all close contacts who are fully vaccinated (at least two doses), or aged between 5 and 18 and half years, do not need to self-isolate if they take lateral flow tests for seven consecutive days and the test result remains negative. You can collect free lateral flow test packs from the Somerstown asymptomatic test site and other local outlets which can be found online. Please report your results via the NHS app or website. Collect lateral flow tests Anyone who has a positive result from a lateral flow test or who develops symptoms at any time [...]

The Care Quality Commission has issued a statement today informing the public on the current Government regulations which permit care home visiting for a nominated 'essential care giver' , stating that "We expect providers to follow government guidance on visiting. This clearly sets out that all care home residents can choose to nominate an essential care giver who may visit the home to attend to essential care needs. The essential care giver should be enabled to visit in most circumstances, including if the care home is experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 infections." https://www.cqc.org.uk/news/stories/statement-supporting-visiting-over-festive-season If you are told by a care home in Portsmouth that their visiting rules have [...]

Portsmouth Pharmacy Opening Hours over Christmas and New Year 2021                                                                              Portsmouth Pharmacy Opening Hours Christmas and New Year 2021

Update for early January 2022 - walk-in boosters in Portsmouth Walk-in booster COVID vaccinations are available this week at the following locations: Eastney Health Centre , Highland Road, Southsea, PO4 9HU Tuesday 11th January ONLY  4pm - 6pm ST James's Hospital, Hamble House, via Edenbridge Road, Portsmouth PO4 8LD Wednesday 12th January ONLY  8am - 1.30pm Laly's Pharmacy, 1 Guildhall Walk, Portsmouth PO1 2RY  (booked appts available too) open Monday - Saturday this week 9am - 6pm,     Sunday 10am - 2pm Goldchem Pharmacy, 147a Albert Road, Southsea, Portsmouth PO4 0JW open Monday - Friday this week 9am - 6pm,    Saturday 10am - 2pm,   not open [...]

This autumn, local Healthwatch from across the south of England are working together on a project looking at access to GP practices.  smartsurvey.co.uk/s/I5OD4B/  Part of this work will be to gather feedback from GP practice staff to understand: -  How their role has changed during the Covid-19 pandemic, -  What practices do well and - What challenges they face. If you work in a GP practice in Portsmouth, please share your experiences in our 10 minute survey: smartsurvey.co.uk/s/I5OD4B/  All feedback is anonymous, so we can safely share our learning with local people, commissioners and primary care providers. This will help us develop resources to support practices and the public in the future. This survey has been developed in partnership with GP [...]

Solent NHS needs to significantly increase the number of vaccinations that we provide to our local community. Solent NHS wants to hear from people who may be able to offer some support as a volunteer for one of the vaccination centres, in Southampton, Portsmouth or the Isle of Wight. There are three key roles: Volunteer Indoor Guide – for signposting people through the site. Volunteer Outdoor Marshall- for signposting and guiding people into parking areas and toward the entrances. Volunteer Vaccinator – supporting clinical teams in the administration of vaccinations. Details about the roles, and how to apply is via this link. https://www.solent.nhs.uk/join-us/vaccine-volunteers/