The COVID Spring Booster Campaign will begin on 1st April, and we recommend taking the opportunity to have this vaccine if you’re eligible. 

At Rowden Surgery we will be offering vaccinations to patients 18 years and over.  You will be invited to book an appointment if you are within the criteria below.

Eligibility criteria for spring 2025:

  • adults aged 75 years and over
  • residents in a care home for older adults
  • individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed (as defined in the ‘immunosuppression’ sections of tables 3 or 4 in the COVID-19 chapter of the green book)

The following will NOT be eligible for the spring booster this year:

  • Pregnant women
  • Household contacts of immunosuppressed people
  • Carers
  • Staff in older adult care homes
  • Frontline care workers

Any under 18-year-olds who are eligible can book through the National Booking System

The NHS in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire is currently seeing a sharp rise in people seeking help and support for common winter conditions that can often be managed at home through effective self-care. Please see here for further information:

People seeking help for minor conditions adds extra pressure to busy NHS

Advice for caring for flu at home – Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB

We are now offering RSV Vaccines to eligible patients!

Find information about eligibility here: RSV Vaccine – Rowden Surgery

Or

For more information about RSV, please see these pages: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – NHS (www.nhs.uk) or GOV.UK

We are taking action to improve General Practice!

Nationally, many practices have agreed to participate in joint action with the British Medical Association. This is NOT about pay but about General Practice receiving the amount of funding needed to employ enough doctors, nurses and other staff to provide sufficient appointments and for our staff to work safely. This joint action across the country is aiming for the government to look at General Practice and reconsider the amount of funding it receives. 

This is not industrial action, we are not on strike.
 
The BMA recommend safe working for General Practice to be 25 patient contacts per day, per clinician and once at capacity to divert patients to local urgent care.  We are working very hard to ensure as little disruption to our normal service as possible but on occasion we may reach full capacity and patients will be asked to call 111. 

The decision to take action has not been taken lightly. 
 
We thank you for your understanding. We are hopeful that the issues can be resolved quickly. 

Find out more here: Pressures in general practice data analysis (bma.org.uk)

Or watch the video below.

Whooping cough cases are on the rise with 553 new cases confirmed just for January this year compared to a total 858 cases for the whole of last year.

Whooping cough can affect anyone but is most dangerous in young infants, receiving a whooping cough vaccine during pregnancy is highly effective in protecting babies from birth until they can receive their own vaccines. Parents can also help to protect their children by ensuring they receive their vaccines at the right time.

Contact your GP Surgery today and book a vaccination!

If you're pregnant, getting vaccinated gives your child the best protection against whooping cough. Getting vaccinated is quick and easy. Speak to your midwife or contact your GP practice.

SystmConnect

Did you know you can use SystmConnect to make requests such as prescriptions, sick notes, test results and more? See our Online Services page for more information.

Evening and Weekend Appointments
You can now access additional Primary Care Services in the evenings and at weekends.

Improved Access is a Wiltshire-wide initiative where local practices are working together to offer increased availability of services and appointments in the evenings and the weekend.

These appointments are available 18:30-20:00 Monday-Friday, and some on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. This collaboration by practices will ensure all patients in Wiltshire have this option, but this might mean you will be offered an appointment at another practice.

Appointment types will vary – some being face-to-face, some on the phone – and there will be a mixture of bookable and same-day appointments available across the week. We will be offering appointments with GPs as well as with other healthcare professionals, such as a Practice Nurse or Health Care Assistant. We are keen to balance the importance of continuity of care with convenient access for patients, while ensuring that the service is safe.

To book such an appointment, contact your local Surgery during normal opening times. A receptionist will explain the process, and ensure the booking is appropriate. You will need to give consent to use this service.

If you have an appointment in these additional hours, please be aware that the surgery doors are locked for security – ring the doorbell and wait for a receptionist to attend.

111 is the NHS non-emergency number.

It’s fast, easy and free. Call 111 and speak to a highly trained adviser, supported by healthcare professionals. They will ask you a series of questions to assess your symptoms and immediately direct you to the best medical care for you.

NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.

In case of a life-threatening emergency, please dial 999.

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Non-urgent advice: Modern general practice with traditional values

Rowden Medical Partnership was established in 1830 at the Corner House in the Market Place in Chippenham and nearly 200 years later eight partners and ten salaried GPs work from the purpose-built premises forming Rowden Surgery.

We look after over 19,100 patients within our catchment area and we pride ourselves on our doctor/patient relationships and inclusivity. We have fought very hard to maintain our Personal List system. This means that every patient and family, has a named doctor from the moment of their registration who is responsible for co-ordinating their care.  We believe that continuity of a doctor is key to good practice and delivering a high quality personal consultation remains the cornerstone of our care.

Rowden Surgery lies adjacent to Chippenham Community Hospital and provides an attractive and effective  environment for patients and staff. All facilities for our patients are at ground level with easy access including a disability friendly car park.

Rowden’s Monthly Statistics – April 2025

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To cancel an appointment, see our Appointments page for more information.

To sign up for the NHS app see our Online Services page.

Online Services

You can use online services such as the NHS App and SystmOnline, to check your symptoms and get instant advice, book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, view your GP medical record and more.

Get Started

Patient Participation Group

Our PPG is a group of volunteer patients with a special interest in the surgery. We hope to give our members the opportunity to, where possible, share decision-making, help us form crucial plans, assist in our growth as a GP Surgery as well as being an advocate and representitive for patient preferences or sometimes even acting as an advocate for the surgery when appropriate. 

Find out more

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