Bearsted Medical Practice

18/03/2026

🚨MENINGITIS HELPLINE:
A patient helpline, run by UKHSA is now available.
Patients can call 0344 225 3861, Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm, if they have no symptoms but are concerned they have been in contact with a confirmed case or have a general enquiry.

If you are concerned you have symptoms of Meningitis please attend A+E urgently

Read about the main symptoms of meningitis, including the meningitis rash, and find out when and where to get medical advice if you have any concerns.

17/03/2026

In response to the meningitis outbreak locally, emergency antibiotics are available for eligible people at NHS centres. Antibiotic tablets can be offered to people who do not have symptoms, as a precautionary measure. To check whether you are eligible and how to get the precautionary treatment please visit the website:

The latest information and updates from NHS Kent and Medway.

16/03/2026

Outbreak of meningococcal disease linked to University of Kent and the area of Canterbury

We are aware of the situation at Canterbury University. Understandably, we are receiving a number of inquiries about Meningitis and Meningitis vaccination schedules.

We hope to reassure concerned patients that transmission of Meningococcal bacteria that are usually carried harmlessly in the back of the nose and throat with transmission most likely to occur after close and prolonged contact or after sexual or other intimate contact that enables the spread of the bacteria.

Close contact is defined as prolonged close contact with the case in a household type setting during the 7 days before onset of illness. Examples close contacts would be those living and/or sleeping in the same household, pupils in the same dormitory, boy or girlfriends, or university students sharing a kitchen in a hall of residence.

Please familiarise yourself and your loved ones with the symptoms of meningitis and sepsis

Meningitis – Symptoms – NHS

Symptoms of sepsis – NHS

If you are unwell please contact us through our triage, NHS111 or go to A&E if you are very unwell.

All children Born from August 2015 will have received a Meningitis B vaccination in their routine vaccinations (3 vaccines age 8weeks, 12/16 weeks and 1 yr).

If a child has missed a vaccine in this schedule, they are eligible for another vaccine until the age of 2yrs.

After this age the vaccine is only available privately. We are not able to provide this at Bearsted.

Children in secondary school age 14yrs receive a Meningitis ACWY vaccination. If this has been missed, they can be given this before the age of 25yr. This can be done at the practice.

The UKHSA have said that this vaccination is sufficient protection in the case of this current outbreak.

11/03/2026

Wednesday 11th March
There is planned IT maintenance taking place today between 12pm and 2pm. We will temporarily be closing triage during this time.

10/03/2026

Tuesday 10th March 2026
Please be aware we are currently experiencing intermittent IT issues affecting some computers.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

04/03/2026

19/01/2026

Internet Outage

We are currently experiencing an internet issue which has caused our clinical triage system to go down. This is resulting in delays in contacting patients regarding their submitted triage requests.

We will contact all patients regarding their triage requests as soon as possible today. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

If your condition is urgent, worsening, or you feel you cannot wait for a response, please call 111 or seek urgent medical care immediately. In an emergency, please dial 999.

07/01/2026

Please be advised that our car park is currently slippery due to weather conditions.
We kindly ask that you take extra care when attending, including wearing appropriate footwear and allowing additional time for safe access to the building.
Your safety is important to us. Thank you for your understanding.
Bearsted Medical Practice