SOME GP surgeries across Basingstoke are cancelling non-urgent appointments due to the Omicron Vaccination Booster program.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched the Omicron Vaccination Booster program, which GPs across the borough are helping to deliver.

The Prime Minister also announced that the NHS will have to postpone some planned appointments in order to meet the target of giving every adult in England a Covid-19 booster jab by the end of the year.

Crown Heights Medical Centre has confirmed that some non-urgent appointments are being cancelled.

The GP practice will be transferring 25 per cent of clinical staff available each day to a North Hampshire hub to help provide patients with a booster.

They said: “We are transferring 25 per cent of our clinical staff available each day to a North Hampshire hub to provide patients with a booster to protect them from Omicron.

“This means that our focus in the surgery must be on urgent clinical need whilst this booster surge is underway. This may result in any non-urgent appointments currently booked being cancelled.

“So, if you are planning to call to make a non-urgent clinical appointment, please don’t, but do send us an eConsult. A GP will review, and we will acknowledge, and you may be asked to contact the surgery again in the New Year."

They encouraged residents to not call if they are planning to make a non-urgent clinical appointment but to instead use the eConsult service.

Elsewhere The Camrose, Gillies, and Hackwood Partnership (CGH) and Shakespeare Road Medical Practice are seeing no cancellations.

The Camrose, Gillies and Hackwood Partnership (CGH) is the largest primary care provider in North Hampshire.

On their website, CGH, said: “In terms of any planned appointments with Camrose, Gillies & Hackwood (CGH) Partnership, there are no changes at the current time and everyone should attend your planned appointments as normal. If we need to make any changes, we will contact you directly."

The Odiham and Old Basing Health Centre updated residents in their latest Covid-19 update newsletter. They confirmed that some routine appointments will be cancelled.

They said: "Much like other practices across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight we will have to make some changes.

"In order to support the booster vaccination program we have made the difficult decision to temporarily stop our online consultations (e-consult) function.

"If you need a repeat prescription then please order online or visit the pharmacy.

"Some routine appointments will be cancelled until January. If your symptoms have worsened and are now urgent please contact the surgery.

"We understand that sometimes it can be hard to define what is urgent. If you are worried please call the surgery and we will help you decide if you need to be seen or the best action to take."