Announcements

Meningitis B Outbreak in Kent – Information for Our Patients

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has recently confirmed a localised outbreak of Meningitis B (MenB) in the Canterbury area of Kent.

The most important message is that there is no increased risk to people living in York, and no changes have been made to the national vaccination programme.

What Has Happened in Kent?

UKHSA has reported a cluster of invasive meningococcal disease (MenB) cases linked to a specific venue in Canterbury. Public health teams in Kent are working directly with people who may have been exposed, offering antibiotics and vaccination where appropriate.

This is a local outbreak, and UKHSA has confirmed that the wider public is not at increased risk.

Does This Affect Vaccination Eligibility?

No.
The NHS has not changed who is eligible for the MenB vaccine.

The MenB vaccine (Bexsero) continues to be offered routinely to:

• Babies at 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and 1 year
• People with certain high‑risk medical conditions
• Close contacts of confirmed cases, if advised by UKHSA

There is no national programme to vaccinate older children, teenagers, or adults outside these groups.

NHS guidance on the MenB vaccine remains unchanged.

There are different types of bacterial meningitis caused by different strains of bacteria.

• Meningitis B, or MenB, is now the most common in the UK – accounting for over 80% of invasive infections – since vaccination made other forms much rarer.
• Group B bacteria are not a single strain, but encompass many different forms of meningococcal B bacteria.
• There is a vaccine given to babies that protects against the most common, but not all, group B bacteria.
• Since it was introduced in 2015, MenB infections have been reduced by around 75% in those immunised.
• However, anyone over the age of 11 has not been protected unless their parents paid for the vaccine privately.
• The risk from MenB is highest in very young children and older teenagers and young adults – often linked to going to university.
• However, a vaccination campaign for teenagers was not considered to be cost-effective. This is because the vaccine is expensive and does not stop you spreading the infection, but rather stops you getting seriously ill.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I get the MenB vaccine now if I wasn’t eligible before?
• At present, eligibility has not changed. Only those in the routine childhood schedule or identified as close contacts by UKHSA are being offered the vaccine.
• Can I pay privately for the MenB vaccine?
• Some private providers do offer MenB vaccination.
• Is my child protected?
• Yes—since 2015 children have received the MenB vaccine as part of the routine NHS childhood immunisation schedule, which provides strong protection against the strain involved in the Kent outbreak.
• Teenagers also receive the MenACWY vaccine, which protects against four other meningococcal strains.
• Why is the MenB vaccine not given to teenagers in the UK?
• It’s down to how effective that vaccine is seen to be in that age group.
• Research suggests the MenB vaccine doesn’t influence transmission of the infection from one person to another, it doesn’t target against all the different B bacteria strains and doesn’t protect for particularly long either.
• For all those reasons, and despite campaigns by charities to have it introduced, UK vaccine experts have concluded that the MenB vaccine isn’t cost effective on the NHS for adolescents.
• Babies are offered the MenB vaccine and given three doses in the first year of life. That’s because young babies are more likely to get invasive infections more often than other age groups, and their bodies are less likely to be able to fight them off, experts say.
• Teenagers are currently offered the MenACWY vaccine, which has reduced the number of young people getting ill from meningitis and spreading those bugs. But uptake of that vaccine is still not where it was before the pandemic – about 73% of 13-year-olds were vaccinated last year in England. Among 14 year olds, uptake was 75%.
• What symptoms should I look out for?
• Meningitis can develop quickly. UKHSA and the NHS advise seeking urgent medical help if you notice:
• Fever, cold hands and feet
• Headache, vomiting
• Rapid breathing
• Drowsiness or confusion
• A rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass
• If you are ever worried about symptoms, call 111 or seek urgent medical care.

Friends and Family Feedback

Published on 11th Mar 2026

Share Your Feedback

Our service is regulated and assessed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Please feedback to CQC on care you have received from us via Give Feeback on Care. You can also call CQC on 03000 616161

Sleep Buddy Study for Children with ADHD

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Assistance Dogs and Pets in the Practice

At Jorvik Gllygate Practice  we are committed to ensuring a safe and comfortable environment for all patients and staff.

• Assistance Dogs – We welcome registered assistance dogs that are trained to support individuals with disabilities, in line with the Equality Act 2010. If you require an assistance dog during your visit, please inform our rcare navigation team in advance so we can make appropriate arrangements.
• Emotional Support Animals & Pets – We understand that some patients find comfort in bringing their pets or emotional support animals. However, only recognised assistance dogs are permitted in the practice due to infection control, allergy risks, and the wellbeing of all visitors.

If you require additional support during your appointment, please speak to our team. We will do our best to make reasonable adjustments.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Your Practice Charter

This guide tells you what to expect from your general practice (GP) and how you can help them, so you get the best from the National Health Service (NHS). More details can be found by clicking here.

Carers Newsletter

The latest newsletter from the York Carers Centre is now available. It includes useful information, support services, and events for carers in our community. Take a look to find out how they can help you or someone you know. To download the file, please click here.

NHS 111 - Mental Health Option

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing a mental health crisis in North Yorkshire, York and Selby, they can access urgent support 24/7 by calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option.

Local crisis teams are not changing and the service is still provided by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust in our region. It is just a new telephone number to call – making it simpler for people to find the right support in a mental health crisis.

To help you get the support you need, you will speak to a mental health advisor who will ask you some questions and listen to you. They can offer self-care advice over the phone, transfer you to the crisis service if needed or refer you to other local services.

You can call for yourself, or someone else. NHS 111 is for all ages, including children and young people and those with neurodevelopmental needs.

If you are deaf or have hearing loss please use NHS 111 SignVideo or the 18001 111 Relay UK app.

If a person’s mental or emotional state gets worse quickly, this can be referred to as a mental health crisis or a mental health emergency. If this happens, it is important to get help quickly.

A mental health crisis can mean different things to different people, but often means that you no longer feel able to cope or be in control of your situation. It can cause a significant disruption to your life and your ability to function.

You should call NHS 111 and select the mental health option if you are worried about:

• thoughts about your life not being worth living or about harming yourself
• feeling out of control or unable to cope
• feeling anxious about leaving the house
• hearing voices or seeing things that others can’t

If you or someone else have physically harmed themselves, or if their life is at risk, then you should still call 999 or go to A&E.

Find out more about NHS 111 select mental health option

Fear of Flying Practice Position

In response to a medical safety advisory from aviation-trained physicians, we have made the decision to stop prescribing sedative medications, such as Diazepam and Zopiclone, which are sometimes used to address fear of flying. There are several reasons behind this decision:

1.  Both Diazepam and Zopiclone act as sedatives, inducing relaxation and drowsiness. However, in the event of an emergency during flight, this could impede your ability to concentrate, follow instructions, and respond appropriately. Such impairment poses not only personal risks but also could jeopardise the safety of fellow passengers.
2.  Sedative drugs may lead to an unnatural non-REM sleep pattern, reducing movement and increasing the risk of developing blood clots, particularly deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism, especially on flights exceeding four hours in duration. Blood clots present severe health hazards and can be fatal.
3.  While most individuals experience sedation with Diazepam, some people may exhibit agitation and aggression. These medications can induce disinhibition, prompting behaviour outside one's normal demeanour, potentially endangering personal safety and leading to legal repercussions. This can be similar to alcohol-induced incidents, resulting in flight removal or legal issues.
4.  The British National Formulary (BNF), the prescribing guidelines doctors follow in the UK, explicitly prohibits the use of benzodiazepines for treating phobias. Prescribing against these guidelines poses legal risks for healthcare providers.
5.  Diazepam and similar drugs are illegal in several countries, subjecting travellers to potential confiscation or legal consequences.

In light of these considerations and to prioritise passenger safety and well-being, as a practice we are opting for alternative approaches to address fear of flying that do not compromise aviation safety or legal compliance. This is the same for many GP surgeries.

We appreciate that this is a very real and frightening problem for some people. We recommend that you tackle the problem with a Fear of Flying Course, which is run by several airlines.

British Airways: Flying with Confidence | Special assistance | British Airways

Virgin: How to cope with a fear of flying | Virgin

EasyJet: Courses | Fearless Flyer (easyjet.com)

Mole Check

Published on 3rd Jun 2024