Parcliffe Medical Centre

18/03/2026

Dear Patients,

As you will know there has been a recent unprecedented increase in meningitis cases in and around Kent.
🚨Meningitis is a very serious infection that can develop quickly and requires urgent attention.

💉 Vaccination is the BEST protection
We strongly encourage all parents and carers to ensure their children are fully up to date with their routine vaccinations, including those offered through the childhood and school immunisation programmes. These vaccines protect against several types of meningitis and can save lives.

Symptoms of meningitis can appear in any order. Some may not appear at all. In the early stages, there may not be a rash, or the rash may fade when pressure is applied.

You should get medical help immediately if you're concerned about yourself or your child.

Trust your instincts and do not wait for all the symptoms to appear or until a rash develops.

Symptoms of meningitis and sepsis include:

*a rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass ( may not be easy to see on brown/ black skin check soles of feet)
*sudden onset of high fever
*severe and worsening headache
*stiff neck
*vomiting and diarrhoea
*joint and muscle pain
*dislike of bright lights
*very cold hands and feet
*seizures
*confusion or delirium
*extreme sleepiness or difficulty waking

👶🏻 Babies may also:

*refuse feeds
*be irritable
*have a high-pitched cry
*have a stiff body or be floppy or unresponsive
*have a bulging soft spot on the top of their head

‼️Call 999 for an ambulance or go to your nearest A&E immediately if you think you or someone you look after could have meningitis or sepsis

For up to date information on this evolving situation please follow this link:

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/03/18/meningitis-b-outbreak-what-you-need-to-know/

Stay safe and well 💙

There is currently an outbreak of meningococcal disease (MenB) in Kent. This blog post includes information on MenB and this outbreak, what to do if you are affected and where you can get antibiotics and who is being offered a vaccine.

15/03/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all those who care and nurture 💕may your day be filled with kindness and warmth💐

08/03/2026

Primary care has always had a predominantly female workforce and Parcliffe Medical Centre is no different!

Today on International Women’s Day, we want to recognise and thank the incredible women who make up the majority of our team at the surgery. 💐
Their dedication, compassion and professionalism make a real difference to our patients every single day!

Thank you for everything you do – today and every day! Happy International Women’s Day! 💜

26/02/2026

26/02/2026

31/12/2025

Dear Patients,

As we step into the New Year, we want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible challenges we’ve faced together over the past year. The NHS, as always, has been under significant pressure, with our teams working tirelessly to provide care to everyone who needs it. But despite these challenges, our staff have continued to show unwavering commitment, turning up every day to ensure that you receive the best care possible.

We also recognise that this year has been one of loss for some of us, whether losing loved ones, friends, or those we have worked alongside. The impact of these losses can never be underestimated, and we want you to know that we are here for you, with compassion and support, as you navigate through these moments of grief.

Your support, understanding, and patience have meant the world to us. The last year has shown us just how important it is to work together, and we are deeply grateful for the trust you’ve placed in us, even during the most difficult times. Whether through kind words, patience during wait times, or simply by showing up when needed, your support has helped keep us going.

As we look ahead we are committed to work with resilience and compassion in the face of every challenge.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy, peaceful, and hopeful New Year. 💙

Please note the surgery is closed on Thursday 1st of January and will re-open as normal on Friday 2nd of January.

Team Parcliffe 💙

24/12/2025

Dear Patients,

We would like to wish everyone a peaceful and blessed Christmas.

Please make note of our opening times across the festive season.
Should you require non urgent medical attention/ advice during periods of closure, please contact 111 or attend the walk in centre.
Please dial 999 for any emergency.

Team Parcliffe
🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄

16/12/2025

Remember we can all help to protect each other 💙
Stay well and healthy this festive season 🎄

Help us stop the spread of flu. We're asking patients and visitors to do their part in keeping everyone safe this winter.

✅ Stay home if you’re unwell
✅ Wash your hands regularly
✅ Wear a mask in healthcare settings if you have symptoms

Together, we can protect our communities.

https://orlo.uk/9osbZ

04/12/2025

🔔Practice Notice 🔔

Our phone lines are back open this morning from 8am. We do anticipate that the lines will be busy further to our phone line closure yesterday afternoon.

Our phone lines were closed yesterday afternoon due to the sudden passing of a colleague. The team are still navigating through processing the shock and circumstances around this, and with that we do ask our patients for some understanding and kindness with any interactions with our team.

Our team are committed to providing as best a service they always would, but are doing so at the moment under some difficult circumstances.

We truly appreciate the kind words received so far, and patience with us while we resume services. 💙

03/12/2025

‼️Patient Notice ‼️

Our telephone lines are closed at the moment.
We received some devastating news this morning of the sudden passing of a wonderful colleague and friend to many of our team.

While our team take some time to process this information, we have suspended the phone system to support our colleagues.

Patients can submit requests online - using patchs or the NHS app. You can access more information and the link to do this through the Practice website.

Patients with booked appointments are to attend as normal. Appointments are going ahead as planned.

Our reception desk is open for any urgent requests or bookings.

We apologies sincerely for any inconvenience this causes and endeavour to resume phone services as soon as we can.

We appreciate your patience while we navigate through this difficult situation.

02/12/2025

Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.🌺
Vicki Harrison

This week is Grief Awareness Week, and a chance to recognise how any type of loss can affect our wellbeing.

There’s no right or wrong way to feel — grief affects everyone differently.

If you're finding things difficult, there’s support that can help.

➡️ https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/grief-bereavement-loss/

28/11/2025

💙If you are between the ages of 40-74 years you may be eligible for a FREE NHS health check every 5 years!
Please contact the surgery and get booked in! A great way to start your health journey 💙

https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/nhs-health-check/

Patients who already have the following 🔹pre existing conditions are not eligible for the health check as they are monitored regularly.

🔹heart disease🔹chronic kidney disease🔹diabetes, 🔹high blood pressure (hypertension)🔹atrial fibrillation🔹transient ischaemic attack🔹inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia)🔹heart failure
🔹peripheral arterial disease🔹stroke
🔹currently being prescribed medicines such as statins to lower cholesterol
🔹previous checks have found that you have a 20% or higher risk of getting cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years

The NHS Health Check is a health check-up for adults in England aged 40 to 74.