How can we help you?
Meningitis outbreak
What’s happening?
There is a meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent. No new advice has been issued about accessing the Meningitis B vaccine, known as MenB, for the wider public.
Who decides vaccine recommendations?
Currently, there are no plans to offer the MenB vaccine outside of the routine infant schedule.
What protection does my secondary aged child already have?
Children receive Hib/MenC at 1 year of age, which provides early protection.
In Year 9, young people are offered the MenACWY vaccine.
MenACWY provides protection during the later school years and into work/college/university, where risk is higher.
This means most secondary school aged children already have strong protection against the meningococcal strains of greatest concern in teens and young adults.
Check your child’s vaccine history
We are encouraging parents of young people to proactively check their child’s vaccination history and ensure they are fully up to date with the UK schedule, especially their year 9 vaccines.
You can check your child’s vaccination record by:
Looking in your child’s Red Book
Checking their record via NHS App (if you have access)
Asking your GP surgery
If your child is of secondary school age, and any vaccines are missing, please contact your local School Immunisation Team to book a school or clinic appointment.
Find contact details for your child’s school immunisation team here.
Routine vaccines to stay protected
Make sure your child is up to date with:
MenACWY (Year 9)
Td/IPV booster (Year 9)
To view the Full vaccine schedule, visit the NHS website.
It is possible to pay to get the MenB vaccine privately from many Pharmacies. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer this service at present. Please contact your local Pharmacy to enquire further.
COVID SPRING BOOSTER CLINICS 2026
Posted on : 9th March 2026
You can get your free NHS COVID Spring Booster vaccine if you:
are aged 75 years and over
have a severely weakened immune system
live in a care home for older adults
We will be running vaccination clinic at Thorneloe Lodge Surgery on:
Friday 17th April 13:00-17:00 for 75+
Wednesday 21st April 13:00-16:00 for severely immunosuppressed
If you are eligible, you will receive your invitation soon. This will be an SMS text message with an online booking link.
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE SURGERY
Housebound
If you are housebound and eligible for vaccination, we will contact you to arrange to give your vaccine at home.
Care Homes
If you or your relative are in a care home, you do not need to contact us. We will be visiting each of our care homes to administer vaccines.
Additional Vaccines
If you are also eligible for a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine (RSV), you will be offered this when you attend for your COVID vaccine.
For further information, visit:
Breast Screening Programme
Patient at the surgery who are eligible for a breast screening will take place between February - May.
NHS breast screening is offered to women aged 50 up to your 71st birthday. Everyone registered with a GP as female will be invited.
For more information please click here.
LOCAL EVENTS
The NHS App allows you to access a range of NHS services. You can download the NHS App on your phone or tablet. You can also access the same services in a web browser by clicking here
More information on the NHS App can be found below
Once you have the NHS app please remember to switch on notifications to stay up to date
Our mission is to provide high-quality, compassionate, and accessible healthcare to our community. We are committed to promoting health and wellbeing through patient-centred care, clinical excellence, continuous improvement, and innovation.
NHS Symptom Checker
Sometimes it’s better to seek medical help, especially if your problems are persistent or are getting worse - but it’s always good to know what to do and where to go to try and manage your health without contacting your GP practice.
Click the button below to use NHS Health A-Z tool to find your condition and learn the best ways to manage it.