Due to the Covid-19 pandemic access to GP & primary care services has changed. The following sections provide information on how our patients can access primary care services via virtual, remote or, if appropriate, face-to-face interactions
NHS 111
Patients with symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, high temperature and loss of taste or smell), should dial 111 to access the COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Service (CCAS).
Patients with symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, high temperature and loss of taste or smell), should dial 111 to access the COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Service (CCAS).
This service will determine if the patient requires further attention in primary care. It will triage a patient and where appropriate, book a patient in to a practice directly. To access this service please call 111.
Do not attend the surgery if you have symptoms of Covid-19.
Contact Us Online
Patients can get help from a GP with our new 24-hour on-line consultation service
Video Consultation
Video consultations mean that patients can have an appointment by a completely secure video link from the comfort of their own home.
To access the video consultation, please contact the practice. The service can be accessed once a remote clinical triage has been conducted.
Face to Face Consultation at the Surgery
Face to face appointments at the surgery can be arranged - following triage by a GP
Please contact the surgery reception by telephone. Do not come to the surgery if you have covid-19 symptoms. When calling the practice, please be prepared to give details to our team so that we can arrange for the most appropriate service to meet your needs.
Home Visits
The home visiting service is reserved for patients with no covid-29 symptoms, who are not able to attend the surgery by virtue of illness or infirmity - and in circumstances where their clinical condition determines that a face to face consultation is required.
Contact the practice to access this service.
Out of Hours service
This out of hours period is from 6.30pm to 8am on weekdays, and all day at weekends and on bank holidays.
To access this service, please call 111
Children with Symptoms of COVID-19
COVID-19 tends to be mild, self-limiting respiratory illness in children.
Prolonged illness and/severe symptoms should not be attributed to COVID-19 and should be evaluated as usual. The threshold for face-to-face assessment in general practice and for secondary care should not change during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To access this service, patients should call 111 for clinical assessment.
Access to Medication for Patients with Symptoms of COVID-19
Patients with COVID-19 symptoms should be advised NOT to go to community pharmacies
If patients require a prescribed medication, this should be collected by someone who is not required to isolate themselves due to contact with the patient eg a neighbour or relative who does not live in the same household.
Alternatively this can be done but NHS Volunteer Responders and delivered to the patient's home. For information on this service please call 0808 196 3646 (8am to 8pm) to arrange volunteer support. For more information please use the following link:
https://volunteering.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/nhs-volunteer-responders-portal/isolating
Mental Health, Dementia, Learning Disability & Autism
Patients may feel distressed, anxious or low in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
There are lots of online resources on mental well-being which includes information on stress, anxiety, depression and well-being, and where to get emergency help for mental health needs. For more information, please use the following link:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/every-mind-matters/
People requiring Translation and Interpretation Services
The move to remote consultation and use of PPE in face-to-face consultations requires additional considerations. For example, the impact of PPE on lip reading. The GOV.UK website provides advice for the public and is translated into multiple languages. The Doctors of the World has translated relevant NHS guidance into 60 languages.
Communication tips and BSL interpreters are available for supporting people with hearing loss to access general practice services
Social & Community Support
Shielded patients are asked to register with the Government support website, whether or not they require additional support.
To access this, patients must be flagged as at highest clinical risk. There may be a short delay between the flag being applied and support arriving. If a patient requires more immediate support, refer to the NHS Volunteer Responders.
If you have access to a local social prescribing link worker or social prescribing service, they can co-ordinate support