CORONAVIRUS

All consultations will at first be carried out by telephone by one of our GPs or Nurse practitioners.  This is to ensure we are keeping both our patients and staff safe.  If once you have spoke to a GP or Nurse Practitioner they need to see you for a face to face consultation, they will give you a time to attend the practice.  Due to the fact we have quite a small reception area we need to ensure we have enough space between patients to follow the government social distancing advice. This is also the reason our front door is currently locked.   We are required to comply with the social distancing guidelines which means after measuring the appropriate distance between the seats we can get 6 people in the waiting room downstairs and 4 upstairs.   We are testing the temperature of all staff and patients when they arrive at the practice and we are asking all patients attending to wear a face covering.  Our phone lines are exceptionally busy and we ask that if you have access to the internet you please complete an eConsult.  This comes directly to us and we will contact you within 48hrs.  Any eConsults left for us between 4pm on Friday and 8am on Monday will be dealt with on Monday.  

We have extra staff where possible answering the phones and are doing our best to answer them as quickly as possible.  

We thank all our patients for their continued support in this unprecedented time. 

HANDS  --  FACE  --  SPACE 

The advice for everyone is to follow this guidance.

1. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are recent onset of a new continuous cough or a high temperature or a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia).

2. If you develop these symptoms, however mild, or you have received a positive coronavirus (COVID-19) test result, then you should immediately self-isolate stay at home for at least 10 days from when your symptoms started. If you live with others, all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. See the stay at home guidance for further information.

3. You do not need to call NHS 111 to go into self-isolation. If you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, or your condition gets worse, or your symptoms do not get better after 10 days, then use the NHS 111 online service. If you have do not have internet access, you should call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999

4. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, you should arrange a test by visiting NHS.UK, or contact 119 via telephone if you do not have internet access.

5. Wash your hands more often than usual, for 20 seconds using soap and water or hand sanitiser, particularly after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose, before you eat or handle food, or when you get to work or arrive home

6. Cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when you cough or sneeze. If you do not have a tissue, sneeze into the crook of your elbow, not into your hand. Dispose of tissues into a disposable rubbish bag and immediately wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser.

7. You must wear a face covering by law in some public places unless you have a face covering exemption because of your age, health or another condition. You are also strongly encouraged to wear a face covering in other enclosed public spaces where social distancing may be difficult and where you come into contact with people you do not normally meet. Social distancing, hand washing and covering coughs and sneezes, remain the most important measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Face coverings do not replace these. See the staying safe outside your home guidance, and you can find guidance on how to wear and make a cloth face covering.

8. Clean and disinfect regularly touched objects and surfaces using your regular cleaning products to reduce the risk of passing the infection on to other people.

At the current time and based on our understanding of what is known so far, COVID-19 can make anyone seriously ill, but for some people the risk is higher. You can find more information on higher risk groups on NHS.UK. As more information emerges, recommendations may change.

COVID-19 updates and information in British Sign Language can be accessed on SignHealth’s website.

As before, you must still:

• stay at least two metres (three steps) away from anyone you don't live with/outside of your support bubble when outside your home
• wash your hands with soap and water often, for at least 20 seconds
• use hand sanitizer gel if soap and water are unavailable
• wash your hands as soon as you get home
• cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands!) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bins immediately and wash your hands afterwards 
• wear a something that covers your nose and mouth when it's hard to keep away from people, such as in the shops or on public transport

DO NOT GO TO YOUR GP SURGERY, HOSPITAL OR PHARMACY IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE OUR PAGE ON CORONAVIRUS GUIDANCE