COVID-19 INFORMATION

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COVID Update: Face coverings

While most COVID restrictions end on Monday 19th July in England. In healthcare settings like doctor’s surgeries, hospitals, dental practices, optometrists and pharmacies - people must continue to wear face coverings and follow social distancing rules. This will help to ensure the safety of our patients, visitors and staff, especially those who are more vulnerable to infection.

Help us to help you by continuing to follow the guidance.

 

COVID Vaccination Programme

We have now completed our local vaccination programme for people in cohorts 1-9. All adults aged 18 and over are eligible to book a COVID vaccination – to book both first and second doses visit the National Booking Service online or call 119.  There are a wide range of locations available to choose across Somerset – there is no need to contact the surgery.

We would like to say a big thank you to the hundreds of people who have supported our local COVID vaccination programme and we are so proud of each and every person who has given their time and energy to help us to run such a successful programme.

 

Pulse Oximeter how-to video

 

Self isolation notes from NHS 111

Self-isolation note from NHS 111

 

Somerset CCG Open Letter to Patients

Please click here to find an open letter to patients from Somerset CCG regarding the current demand on GP services.  We appreciate the support we have received from our patients throughout the COVID pandemic and will continue to strive to provide a high quality service.

 

Access to Face to Face GP Appointments

Our doctors and nurses have continued to see patients in person during the pandemic, but as with many other NHS services, the number of face-to-face appointments has reduced and been replaced by telephone consultations to protect patients and staff, particularly those at higher risk if exposed to such a potentially lethal virus

Despite the relaxation of lock down measures, Covid 19 is still circulating and new variants remain a concern, so to continue protecting patients, we seek to limit how many can be in the surgery at any one time.

Revised guidance encourages face-to-face appointments to be offered and we will continue to do this where a clinical need is established and indicated.  Covid 19 has required us to re-assess how to manage demand for patient care. Going forwards phone, video, online and text consultations with patients will continue to play an important role in safe clinical care and providing good access.

Alongside providing primary care services to our patients, we have also vaccinated against Covid 19, hosting the Taunton Central Primary Care Network Hub in our practice as well as visiting care homes and our housebound patients. This is an amazing outcome with huge benefit to the health of the local community. Our staffs, both clinical and non-clinical have worked incredibly hard and we are hugely grateful to them for what they have accomplished.

 

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

Dear Patients

We have made the decision to restrict access to the surgery to patients by ensuring that they are assessed by a clinician first. This is for the safety of all patients and our staff. We politely request that anyone attending the surgery please wears their own mask / face covering / scarf. 

All requests for face to face appointments with a GP will be assessed by telephone first.  If you do have a face to face appointment booked then please do not come to the surgery if you, or anyone in your household, subsequently develop symptoms of a high temperature, loss of sense of smell and/or taste or a cough. Please phone and cancel the appointment in these circumstances.

Going forward we will be changing regular reviews to telephone consultations. We will also be exploring the use of video consultations and online consultations. 

With regards to nurse appointments, at the moment we are continuing with childhood immunisations, dressings, existing blood test bookings and monitoring of patients on high risk medications (e.g. warfarin and methotrexate). However, if you do have a face to face appointment booked then please do not come to the surgery if you, or anyone in your household, subsequently develop symptoms of a high temperature, loss of sense of smell and/or taste or a cough. The nursing team will be looking at changing routine reviews for things like asthma, COPD, CHD and diabetes to phone call reviews. We will not be offering ear syringing procedures for the time being.

With regards to repeat prescriptions, please do not order medications early as this will cause supply issues and may cause harm to other patients. We will reject any early requests.

Finally, we ask that you are patient with all members of our team who are working under incredibly challenging conditions. The situation and associated guidance is changing rapidly so please bear with us. We appreciate that this is a time of great anxiety for everyone however, rudeness and abuse are not acceptable under any circumstances.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

The Partners at College Way Surgery

 

COVID-19 update Monday 23rd March 2020:

On Monday 16th March the UK government announced a package of measures, advising those who are or may be at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures.

This group has been identified to the public as those who are:

• aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions)
• under 70 with an underlying health condition listed below (i.e. anyone instructed to get a flu jab as an adult each year on medical grounds):
• chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
• chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
• chronic kidney disease
• chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
• chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
• diabetes
• problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed
• a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
• being seriously overweight (a BMI of 40 or above)
• those who are pregnant

This wider group, who broadly speaking comprise the criteria of adults eligible for an annual flu vaccine, will not be proactively contacted but have instead been asked to take steps to reduce their social interactions in order to reduce the transmission of coronavirus.

The following group of diseases and conditions considered to be very high risk and should expect to receive a letter advising to stay at home at all times and avoid all face-to-face contact for at least twelve weeks from today, except from carers and healthcare workers who you must see as part of your medical care.

1. Solid organ transplant recipients

2. People with specific cancers

• People with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer
• People with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
• People having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
• People having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors.
• People who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs.

3. People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe COPD

4. People with rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as SCID, homozygous sickle cell disease)

5. People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection All patients on the following medications have been centrally identified and will be contacted via the letter:

• Azathioprine
• Mycophenolate (both types)
• Cyclosporin
• Sirolimus
• Tacrolimus

6. People who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired

 

If you would like further information or advice regarding self-isolation and shielding vulnerable people please refer to the government website:

gov.uk - guidance on shielding and-protecting extremely vulnerable persons from covid 19

The GPs are reviewing this new guidance and politely request that if you have concerns about you or a family member’s being identified within one of these categories that you adopt the recommended measures and not contact the surgery to seek confirmation.

Thank you for your continued assistance at this time.