6th August 2020
Recovery after Covid
Please see the below link to NHS website which has been set up to support patient recovery after COVID-19. ‘Your COVID Recovery’ helps patients to understand what has happened and what they might expect as part of their recovery.
https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/
1
17th July 2020
1
Under Wearing a Face Mask - exemptions
SOMERSET LOCAL MEDICAL COMMITTEE have advised the following:
The LMC consulted the General Practitioners Committee and received the following reply. "We specifically raised this with NHS England and there is full agreement that GPs should not be approached to write these. We would encourage practices to decline... It is actually rather difficult to envisage any circumstance in which the wearing of a face mask would be genuinely medically contra-indicated."
Please do not request a letter from your GP to support exemption from wearing a face mask.
1
2nd June 2020
1
New Text Messaging Service
1
We have upgraded our text messaging service in order to provide a better service.
1
This means that you will get a reminder the day before your appointment and should you wish to cancel this you will be able to text CANCEL back to the surgery and avoid having to ring in.
1
Now when you book a new appointment there may be a delay in receiving your confirmation text message but you will still get one.
1
We also hope to update any patients who have mobile numbers with vital information via text message so please let us know if you have a mobile number which we can add to your record.
1
1
11th May 2020
1
1
4th May 2020
Use our new consultation system.
https://www.online-consult.co.uk/org/essex-house-medical-centre
q
20th May 2020
Watch out for coronavirus scammers
Devon, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards Service are warning people about scammers who are capitalising on Coronavirus. Scammers and doorstep traders are exploiting people’s fear and anxiety with false testing kits and people posing as helpers or volunteers.
Devon, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards Service are warning people about scammers who are capitalising on Coronavirus. Scammers and doorstep traders are exploiting people’s fear and anxiety with false testing kits and people posing as helpers or volunteers. Financial scams include false donation schemes like a ‘COVID-19 vaccine’, fake holiday refunds and fake calls from people claiming to be your bank or other financial service.
If you see or hear anything suspicious contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.
For more advice visit www.devonsomersettradingstandards.gov.uk
23rd of March 2020
1
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, as advised by the government for infection control, we are operating controlled access to the surgery.
Admission is by appointment only.
Please phone the surgery should you need to speak to a GP and we will try to call you back as soon as possible.
19th of March 2020
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. All requests for face to face appointments with a GP will be assessed by telephone first.
Going forward we will be changing regular reviews to telephone consultations where possible including any appointments already booked over the next few weeks. 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, necessary dressings, smears, and monitoring of patients on high risk medications (e.g. warfarin and methotrexate). 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. We will be moving patients to electronic prescribing to reduce patients entering the surgery to collect paper prescriptions. We will be moving our repeat prescription request box to outside the building to reduce patients having to enter the building. To reduce patients movements please use the NHS app to order repeat prescription, we will temporarily be happy to take repeat prescription request over the phone or via email, please provide your name, address and date of birth with the medication requested as well as which pharmacy you would like to collect your prescription from (prescriptions will not be available to collect from the surgery)
Finally, we ask that you are understanding when dealing with all members of our team. They 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
Essex House Medical Centre