Down at the Doctors June 2026

Posted on January 29th, 2024

The COVID vaccination clinic at the Health Centre last month was a great success, helped in no small part by a beautifully sunny Saturday morning, which seems to have encouraged Much Hadham patients to swap their cars for a leisurely stroll to their jabs.

In total, 208 patients received their COVID vaccination, of whom 46 also took the opportunity to have the RSV vaccine at the same time. There had been some concern beforehand about parking, but the car park remained reassuringly civilised throughout. No queues, no chaos, and no need for creative parking manoeuvres. Given how smoothly the clinic ran, we are planning to do the same again in the autumn for COVID vaccinations, while continuing the Flu clinic at Little Hadham.

In addition to the clinic, we have successfully completed vaccinations for housebound patients and residents at Ashview Nursing Home, ensuring our most vulnerable patients were not left out.

Unfortunately, vaccine supply was limited by NHS England allocations, which are based on previous uptake. We appreciate this meant some patients had to seek vaccination elsewhere, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. We will continue to make the case for increased allocation, particularly given our rural location and higher-than-average elderly population, both of which make a strong argument for more jabs, not fewer.

Practice Updates

There are a few updates regarding our GP team:

• Dr Oates is now working two days a week as she begins to wind down towards retirement early next year. While we will miss her enormously when the time comes, this gradual transition helps ensure continuity for patients and a smooth handover for the team. She remains fully committed during her sessions and continues to see patients as usual.
• Dr Rajah will be away for approximately three months from the end of June while undergoing major surgery and recovery. We wish him all the very best and a smooth recuperation, and we look forward to welcoming him back once he’s fully back on his feet.
• Dr Sharif continues with her cancer treatment, which, as expected, has its ups and downs. Despite this, she has been providing invaluable support behind the scenes, assisting with clinical workflows, blood results, and hospital correspondence. She will also continue to see patients in the skin clinic and support minor surgery sessions with Dr Tish.

As one patient recently said, we often forget that doctors can become unwell too. They are, after all, human even if they do sometimes give the impression of being powered entirely by caffeine and goodwill.

As always, during these periods of absence, we have GP locum cover in place. Patients can be reassured that access to care, quality, and service will remain consistently high, because while the faces may occasionally change, the commitment to care does not.

Best wishes

Andrew