Elms Medical Practice

10/12/2025

Prescriptions - Important notice. Please be advised that throughout Harpenden and nationally there has been a technical problem with the system that allows your GP Practice to authorise prescriptions. If your prescription order is urgent, please contact your pharmacy first as the order may have already reached them. If it’s not urgent please give us a couple of days before collecting from your pharmacy. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

04/12/2025

This morning our 3 GP Surgeries are having technical issues with the Contact Us Online links, powered by Accurx. Please bear with us as we continue working around this issue and waiting for it to come back to full functionality. Thank you for your patience with our reception teams.

02/12/2025

Our surgery websites are experiencing difficulties this morning. We are hoping they will be back up and running shortly. Meanwhile, if you are trying to contact your GP surgery online, please use the NHS App or go directly to the online form via the links below:
Davenport House - accurx.nhs.uk/patient-initiated/e82077 Elms Medical - accurx.nhs.uk/patient-initiated/e82071 Village Surgery - accurx.nhs.uk/patient-initiated/e82037

16/09/2025

Please book an appointment via the text message link sent to all parents/carers last week or go online to request: https://accurx.nhs.uk/patient-initiated/e82071

Little heroes save big lives – starting with themselves! 🛡️
This autumn, your child can be a Flu Fighter with a free NHS nasal spray flu vaccine – quick, painless, and needle-free.

Flu isn’t just a cold – it can cause high fever, sore throat, cough, and even lead to serious complications like chest infections or hospital stays.
Children aged 2 and 3 years are especially vulnerable.

💨 A quick spray gives your little one powerful protection to stay healthy and happy.

📍 Book your child’s free flu vaccine at your GP practice today.

08/09/2025

High blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and other illnesses. Once you Know Your Numbers! you can get support to bring your blood pressure under control and prevent these diseases. Come along to the surgery to use the machine in our reception, then pop the numbers into reception so we can add it to your GP record. If you are concerned about your blood pressure please contact us online: https://accurx.nhs.uk/patient-initiated/e82071

Around a third of people in the UK have high blood pressure, but most don’t know it. It doesn’t have any symptoms so, the only way to find out is to have a blood pressure check. Pop into your local Harpenden GP Practice reception to use the free blood pressure machines, or ask at the reception for help or an appointment with a member of staff.

04/09/2025

Find out more on our website: https://www.elmsmedicalpractice.co.uk/patient-participation-group

Did you know that each GP surgery in Harpenden has their own PPG (patient participation group)? They are made up of volunteer patients and members of the practice staff who work together to improve the experience of patients using the practice. Your experiences matter and you can bring different ideas to the surgery to help us improve the way we work. You will also gain a better understanding of how the practice operates, the roles and workload of practice staff and the challenges we face. Check your GP practice website for more information and how to get involved.

24/06/2025

You may have seen news that a new weight loss injection called Mounjaro will soon be available on the NHS. Please see the local commissioning document explaining the eligibility criteria, how and when this medication will be available.

NHS England and NICE have approved the use of Tirzepatide, which you may also know as Mounjaro® or ‘the weight loss drug’, from primary care.

You may well hear that Tirzepatide is available from primary care from 23rd June 2025. However, in the first two years entry criteria have been set by NHS England to a very small number of people. This is to allow safe entry of this repurposed medicine into the health system.

Please only contact us if you are eligible, this means you have a BMI of 40 or higher and at least four of these additional conditions, which will already have been diagnosed by your GP or another medical professional:
· Hypertension
· Dyslipidaemia
· Obstructive sleep apnoea
· Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD)
· Type 2 diabetes mellitus

19/03/2025

🌟 Did you know that today is National Social Prescribing Day? 🌟

Harpenden Health PCN have three amazing and experienced Social Prescribers - Sonya, Elizabeth and Matt, working across all 3 sites. We are very grateful for each of them and have seen the impact of their work in the improvement of the wellbeing of our patients.

They support people by connecting them to local activities, groups and services in the community to help meet the social, emotional and practical needs that may affect their health and wellbeing. They cover a whole range of areas and can help with:

🔸Low mood
🔸Anxiety and stress
🔸Isolation and loneliness
🔸Bereavement support
🔸Carers support
🔸Housing issues
🔸Debt / welfare
🔸Healthy lifestyles and exercise referrals
🔸Domestic Violence
🔸Employment issues
and much, much more....

If you would like more information or further support and want to speak to our Social Prescribers, please contact the surgery via your usual routes.

https://www.harpendenhealthpcn.nhs.uk/social-prescribing

04/11/2024

Please note the practice is closed as we currently have no access to our clinical system or phone system. We will update the website with latest news. For anything that cannot wait please call 111 or for life threatening emergencies 999. Thank you for your understanding.

29/08/2024

More over 65 flu vaccine appointments released - book now!

19/07/2024

Important Notice: EMIS System Outage*
Dear Patients,

We regret to inform you that our clinical system, EMIS, is currently experiencing an unexpected outage. This is a national problem beyond our control and we are informed that this is being investigated as a priority. This system is crucial for managing appointments, accessing medical records, and processing prescriptions, so this interruption may affect our ability to provide timely and efficient care. We have limited access to your information so please bear with us.

What This Means for You:

Appointment Scheduling: We are unable to book, reschedule, or access details of your upcoming appointments at the moment.
Medical Records: Access to your medical records, including test results, is temporarily unavailable.
Prescription Requests: Processing of repeat prescriptions and new medication requests will be delayed.

Our Commitment to You:

Emergency Care: For urgent medical issues, please use 111 online https://111.nhs.uk/ or visit your nearest urgent care centre or contact emergency services.
Minor illness: Please check your local Pharmacy https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy
Support and Assistance: The national team is working diligently to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We will keep you informed with updates on our website and through our social media channels.
Alternative Solutions: If you have an urgent medical need or prescription request, please call your GP reception. Our staff will assist you with interim solutions and provide guidance on alternative care options.

We understand the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. Your health and well-being are our top priorities, and we are doing everything we can to restore full service as swiftly as possible.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely, Harpenden Health PCN (on behalf of Davenport House, Elms Medical Practice and Village Surgery

20/05/2024