European Joint Support Unit

European Joint Support Unit

SHAPE & BRUSSELS

shape and brussels
june22
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SHAPE and Brussels Medical Centre

We provide a full spectrum GP service in conjunction with Belgian, Defence and NHS specialists. Our clinical staff also visit Brussels for clinics and provide support to the Central European Practice. The facility leaflet is at the tab below.

Get in touch

SHAPE eConsult – Contact the practice with your admin or clinical query


Meet the Team

Practice Manager
Mrs E Fuller

Senior Medical Officer
Lt Col T Clack

GP – CMP
Dr A Ure

Senior Nurse
Mrs J Paterson

Specialist Physio
Mrs V Lack

Health Visitor
Mrs K Riley

GDMO
Capt P Gimson

Pharm Tech
Sgt W Benza-Chofur

Patient Support Cell
Mme C Bausier
Mme D Dochot

Administrative Staff
Mrs J Cauldwell
Mrs E McAulay
Mrs E Owusu

Contact Us

SHAPE Healthcare Facility – UK Clinic Building 401, Rue D’Oslo, SHAPE, 7010 Maisieres, Belgium

Patient support and referrals: +32 (0)65 44 2071

Dispensary: +32 (0)65 44 5999

Practice:    UKStratCom-DMS-DPHC-MON-Grp@mod.gov.uk +32 (0)65 44 5824

Patient support:  UKStratCom-DMS-DPHC-MON-PatSpGrp@mod.gov.uk +32 (0)65 65 44 5824

Healix: +44 (0) 208 4817800 healthline@healix.com

SHAPE eConsult – Contact the practice with your admin or clinical query

About Us

Opening hours:

Monday – Thursday: 0800 – 1700 & Friday 0900 – 1530

US facility including labs and x-ray 0800 – 1130 & 1300 – 1530 (closed for training 3rd Thurs morning each month)

Find us:

SHAPE: The healthcare facility is near the main shopping car park. For the UK section go through the main entrance then follow signs for ‘London’.

Brussels.  If you are coming to the Sterrebeek site we will pre-arrange your entry and you will require your passport. You can also apply for an ‘installation card’ through your NSE.

JF Kennedylaan 12, 1933 Sterrebeek

Reception: +32 (0)2 686 1515

Brussels UK clinics: Fridays and by arrangement

COVID Info

Symptoms which may be COVID-19 or positive test – what should I do? – UK update Jun 2022 

1. ISOLATE

Isolate in accordance with current national and base rules.  

(*Remember not to spread colds and flu even if you think you don’t have COVID)

2. TEST

SHAPE-based personnel should use the drivethru test booking: https://shapecovidtesting.as.me/schedule.php

Brussels – Belgian or private system if required for symptoms- and inform medical centre of test and result.  

Results.  If a test is taken for symptoms in SHAPE you should expect a result between 24 and 72 hours, called through by the Prev med team.  Symptomatic results are prioritised and are usually within 24 hours but may take a little longer if the on-site lab is busy. 

****Duty travel tests if required are endorsed by your employer and should be undertaken in local facilities or, if PCR is required, using orders and booking through the SHAPE drive-thru. Tests in the HN system cannot be funded by the medical team unless the UK medical centre has endorsed them as necessary for clinical reasons.

3. IF YOU NEED MEDICAL CARE – CONSULT UK MEDICAL CENTRE 

DO NOT attend a facility in person. 

We only need to speak to you if your symptoms require a clinical assessment. Telephone appointments may be made on +32 6544 5824 or UKStratCom-DMS-DPHC-MON-Grp@mod.gov.uk.  

Out of hours.  Only if you need urgent advice out of hours call our colleagues at HEALIX on+44 208 4817800. They can help you to a route of assessment and/or let us know. If you are urgently unwell attend A and E or call 112, stating that you may have COVID.

4. TRACE AND MONITOR 

The HN authorities may call and advise on measures outside your base if you have tested positive on an external test.  

SHAPE orders direct those on base to call the Prev Med team to initiate contact tracing and obtain direction on SHAPE measures: +32 65 325336. This number may not be monitored so please await a response to your voicemail if there is no answer.  

Those working in Brussels should follow local guidance and direction.  Please also note that actions on NATO or military establishments may differ from current UK or Belgian measures.  

4. INFORM UNIT 

You are requested to notify your line manager and your NSE of your absence (or WFH). There is a reporting form on EJSU.net if you prefer this method.  They may ask you to identify your movements prior to having symptoms to allow them to work with Prev Med should you test positive – or they may refer you direct to the local contact tracing procedure.    

Out of hours Urgent Unit contact.  European Duty Field Officer on +32 479 911075  

Useful links: 

Belgian COVID info:  https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/quarantine-isolation/    

NHS COVID info:  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ 

SHAPE drivethru test booking: https://shapecovidtesting.as.me/schedule.php

Host Nation testing (needs COVIDsafe.be activated: https://sat.info-coronavirus.be/fr/formulaire/sat *Please ensure you have medical authorisation for a HN test or you will be liable for the bill yourself if it is charged.

EJSU NSE reporting form:  https://www.ejsu.net/covid19-reporting/

SHAPE contact tracing and COVID info:  https://www.shape2day.com/

COVID Immunisation

COVID Immunisation update Jun 2022

Please let your practice know if you require any of the currently recommended series of COVID immunisations and we can help advise on the best option to obtain and record your jab.

Who can get a COVID-19 vaccine

Everyone aged 5 and over can get a 1st and 2nd dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.  People aged 16 and over, and some children aged 12 to 15, can also get a booster dose.

People aged 12 and over who had a severely weakened immune system when they had their first 2 doses, will be offered a 3rd dose and a booster (4th dose).

People aged 75 and over, people who live in care homes for older people, and people aged 12 and over who have a weakened immune system, have been offered a spring booster.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Future plans for COVID immunisation

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) interim statement on the COVID-19 vaccination programme for autumn 2022 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recognises that there is considerable uncertainty with regards to the likelihood, timing and severity of any potential future wave of COVID-19 in the UK. Despite the known uncertainties in the year ahead, winter will remain the season when the threat from COVID-19 is greatest for individuals and for health communities.

As with the 2021 autumn COVID-19 booster programme, the primary objective of the 2022 autumn booster programme will be to augment population immunity and protection against severe COVID-19 disease, specifically hospitalisation and death, over winter 2022 to 2023. With the transition towards endemicity, or ‘living with COVID-19’, it is anticipated that the protection of the most vulnerable people in society will continue to be of primary importance.

The following advice should be considered as interim and for the purposes of operational planning for autumn 2022.

The JCVI’s current view is that in autumn 2022, a COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to:

residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults

frontline health and social care workers

all those 65 years of age and over

adults aged 16 to 64 years in a clinical risk group Further detail regarding the definitions of ‘clinical risk groups’ and ‘other groups’ is under review.

Vaccination of other groups of people remains under consideration within JCVI’s ongoing review.

Host Nation offers    

In Belgium and many other countries in Europe there is already an offer to the parents of children in the 5-11 age group.  The primary course of vaccination for all in this age-group is also with a third of the adult dose of Pfizer vaccine, but with an interval in Belgium of at least 3 weeks between the first and second doses. 

Like the UK, European nations found their decisions on child immunisation on extensive assessment of the risks and benefits by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and national health authorities. We have seen throughout the pandemic that aspects of the immunisation program and response to COVID differ. 

Individual preferences; the host nation offer; and the residency and registration status of the child will all play a part in family decisions on whether to take up an offer in your country of residence.  

MoD position:  JSP 950, Leaflet 7-1-1 (linked on ModNet here): So long as the HN-provided vaccine is compliant with the EMA/FDA/MHRA conditions of authorisation an individual (or the person with parental responsibility) can accept the offer of a HN vaccine under the principles of informed consent (noting that children aged 16-17 are often competent to give their own consent).  

In making your decisions, it is also worth highlighting that MoD staff have no authority to move ahead of the NHS program so your medical centre cannot, for instance, offer immunisations in line with the Belgian program.   

School travellers 

We understand that differing approaches to immunisation and certification between the UK and other nations creates challenges for those who live or travel between two regions (in particular children who are at school in the UK). This has broadly been resolved for over 12s since the UK decision to offer these children 2 doses.  

Please email the practice if the inability to obtain immunisation for 5-11 year olds in the UK affects their ability to travel to you or attend school.   

Certification – Children 

Fully vaccinated 12 to 15 year olds are now able to access a NHS COVID Pass letter for travel including an internationally recognised 2D barcode. The COVID Pass letter is valid for 30 days and may take 7- 14 working days to be delivered. It can be ordered by calling 119 or 0300 311 22 33  or via the website NHS.UK.  

Obtaining COVIDsafe.be app in Belgium is an advantage for those who have obtained immunisation in the HN. 

Certification – over 16 

To download an NHS certificate of vaccination you may create an NHS online logon at https://www.coronavirus-record.service.nhs.uk .

The certificate may then be downloaded at https://covid-status.service.nhsx.nhs.uk/ 

·  This is NOT the App 

·  Use a personal device with camera access. 

·  You will be asked to validate the account with a form of British ID 

·  If asked for a postcode, use the BFPO equivalent postcode BF1 2AG   

·  You will need to re-download a new code each 30 days.

Health Visiting

The SSAFA Health Visitor follows UK guidance and best practice which is detailed in the Healthy Child Programme and where possible will offer the service that you would normally expect to get in England.

This means that we will arrange to see all families with their child at set points between pregnancy and 5 years of age.

We work closely with other health care professionals to make sure that all families can access the most appropriate services for their health and wellbeing, and to give babies and children the best start in life.

Some of the ways we can help include:

· Babies and children’s growth and development including speech, language and communication and readiness for school

· Supporting babies and children with additional needs

· Breastfeeding, bottle feeding, weaning, nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight

· Supporting mum’s and dad’s mental and physical health

· Transition to and support with parenting

· Behaviour issues – e.g. sleeping, eating, potty training, tantrums

· Family health and relationships

eRedbook

We encourage all of our families to download and register with an electronic child health record (eRedbook), your Health Visitor will input into this at each contact. More information can be found here: https://www.ssafa.org.uk/ssafa-cyprus-service-hub/eredbook

Feedback

We would like to hear from anyone who has used our SSAFA Health Visiting service within the last 6 months. We will use the feedback to look at how we can make improvements and changes to our service provision. https://ecv.microsoft.com/rV9zwBaqGv

Contact your Health Visitor

If you would like to speak to your Health Visitor you can call the number below to make an appointment.

SHAPE & Brussels +32 6544 2001