Coronovirus - Covid 19

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Category: Uncategorised

Published: 29 February 2020

• Covid19

Face Covering

The latest Government advice is to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces where it is hard to follow social distancing measures. From Monday 15/06/2020 we are asking ALL patients attending the surgery to wear a FACE COVERING to help us protect each other and reduce the spread of infection. Thank you for your co-operation.

The exceptions to this would be children under the age of 11, those with disabilities or those with breathing difficulties or those who are travelling with someone who relies on lip reading.

  Please note the below guidance

15^th June 2020

Covid-19 – The compulsory wearing of face covering on Public Transport

The introduction of the requirement for people to wear face covering on Public Transport is intended to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

There are certain groups of people who are exempt from this requirement and they include:

children under the age of 11,

• people with disabilities 
• those with breathing difficulties or
• those who are travelling with someone who relies on lip reading.

These groups of people, their parents or guardians are able to indicate the reason, if required, as to why they are not wearing a face covering.

General practice is under considerable pressure as a direct result of the current challenges they are faced with delivering a service to patients at the same time as coping with the consequences of this virus. 

There is no requirement for general practice to issue letters for patients who are unable to wear face coverings, as the Government have clearly defined the exemptions to this requirement.  

General practice needs to focus all its time and effort managing those who need their help and not be diverted from this by unnecessary tasks.

Many thanks for your help and support in this matter.

Yours faithfully 

Dr Nigel Watson

Chief Executive

Wessex Local Medical Committees

If you are concerned that you may have symptoms of Covid-19 please do not come to the practice. Please stay at home and follow  https://111.nhs.uk/service/covid-19  General information can be found at - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

In line with national guidance we have suspended the online booking of appointments. Appointments can now only be made by telephone.

Stay at home for seven days if you have either:

• a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
• a new, continuous cough – this means you've started coughing repeatedly

If you live with other people, they should stay at home for 14 days from the day the first person got symptoms.

You don't need a Med3 ("sick note") from the surgery, instead you can download an isolation note online.

When to use 111

Use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service if:

• you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home
• your condition gets worse
• your symptoms do not get better after 7 days

Ways to avoid coming into the surgery

You can order prescriptions via Patient Access. Please sign up for the website or the app. This will also be expanded to allow other online services from the practice in the near future.

You can also use the NHS app to order repeat prescriptions. This is available for both iOS and Android devices.

Or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your date of birth medications required and your nominated pharmacy - ALL Prescriptions will be then sent to that pharmacy, do not attend to pick them up.

Covid - 19 tests

Any patients requiring information about testing please go the government website: https://www.gov.uk/apply-coronavirus-test. Patients who do not have access to or cannot use the internet can call a dedicated phone line, which can be used to order a test if no other options are available. The Coronavirus Testing Call Centre can be contacted on 0300 303 2713 between the hours of 07.00 and 23.00.  Around 98% of all Coronavirus test results are sent automatically to the individual within four days but for any that aren’t, the Call Centre can help individuals to follow up on their results. Patients do not use NHS 111, as the service is not able to do this for them.

Free urgent eyecare services now available at opticians 

People across Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire can now access free NHS treatment for urgent eye care from their local optician.  

The brand new service commissioned by the local NHS, means that high street opticians can offer free treatment for urgent eye conditions such as itchy and red eyes, scratched or swollen eyes or unexplained reduced vision.  

Anyone, whatever age and whether registered with an optician or not, will be able to access treatment for any new or worsening eye conditions. 

This is a temporary service set up as a result of concerns that many patients were not seeking treatment for eye conditions due to worries about exposing themselves to Covid19 by visiting A&E departments or their GP.  

A full list of those opticians who are offering this new service is available at  

http://primaryeyecare.co.uk/find-a-practice/

 Please ensure you ring the eye care centre prior to  visiting the premises.

If a patient is having a routine blood test, then we can offer a test for antibodies, so long as the patient is adequately informed of the meaning of the result –

The test will show if an individual has been exposed to Covid19 and has mounted an immune response to the virus.  The test does not prove whether the individual with Covid19 antibodies is immune to future infections from this virus.

The test therefore currently has no value in the clinical management of an individual patient and should not be used to provide reassurance that antibody positive patients are at a lower risk of infection than those who are antibody negative.  It also has no current value for occupational health purposes.