Happy New Year to all our patients!
We are delighted that Dr. Tariq Tabiner, who has been with us for a year as GP registrar, will be joining us as a salaried G.P. in February 2026 and will be working all day on Mondays and Tuesdays and Thursday morning.
Dr. Adam Smith will have limited availability in January, but Dr. Mark McNair will be working extra clinical sessions, so access to G.P.s should not be affected. A reminder too that Dr. McNair now offers minor surgery appointments (see last month’s edition or our website for criteria details).
Nurse Donna Sharp left us in December due to relocation, but we are delighted to welcome Nurse Leanne Sim to the nursing team. She will be joining us in the middle of January.
An important update too on MMRV vaccination
Following recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), from 1st of January 2026 all children will be offered a combined Measles Mumps Rubella Varicella (MMRV) instead of the current MMR vaccine as part of the childhood routine 2-dose vaccination schedule.
This will include the Varicella (also known as Chicken Pox) component. Data from other countries which include varicella in their routine vaccination schedules indicate that a 2-dose schedule is predicted to decrease the number of cases of varicella seen in childhood rapidly and dramatically. The programme will prevent severe cases of varicella, and other serious complications, which while rare, may have otherwise resulted in hospitalisation or other serious outcomes.
The implementation of the MMRV vaccination from 1st of January 2026 is as follows:
• Two doses of MMRV offered to children aged under one year old on 31 December 2025 (date of birth on or after 1 January 2025): dose 1 at one year, and dose 2 at the new 18-month appointment.
• Two doses of MMRV offered to children aged from one year up to 18 months on 31 December 2025 (date of birth on or after 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2024) at the new 18-month appointment and at the 3 years 4 months routine appointment. These children should have already received dose 1 of MMR at one year.
• One dose of MMRV offered to children aged from 18 months up to 3 years 4 months on 31 December 2025 (date of birth on or after 1 September 2022 to 30 June 2024) at their 3 years 4 months routine appointment (instead of MMR). These children should have already received dose 1 of MMR at one year.
There will also be a one-dose MMRV selective catch-up programme which will be delivered between 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2028 offered to:
• Any child aged from 3 years 4 months to under 6 years on 31 December 2025 (date of birth on or after 1 January 2020 to 31 August 2022) with no history of chickenpox disease or two doses of varicella vaccination.
A member of the nursing team will be in touch when your child’s vaccination is due and will be pleased to answer any queries parents may have.
Dr. Adam Smith