We have endeavoured to provide a safe service to our patients throughout the pandemic and are very grateful to all those who have been tolerant and understanding during this time.
From Tuesday 17th May our doors will no longer be locked, but we would kindly request patients who have any respiratory symptoms or are positive with Covid to continue to follow the current procedures we have in place. This means you should not enter the building but wait outside in your car and telephone the Practice mobile so the receptionist can check you in and advise the Clinician or Nurse in advance. We appreciate not everyone has a mobile phone or a car and in this instance you can use the intercom located at the left hand side of the main door. This option, is of course, also available to any patient who does not want to wait inside prior to their appointment.
National guidance still strongly advises the use of a face mask in health settings and we are grateful to you for continuing to follow this guidance along with using the hand sanitisers provided upon entering the building.
The waiting room will be zoned into two separate parts with a “Safe Seating Area” for those that perceive themselves at higher risk of complications from infections. Please respect spacing in this area and just let the receptionist know.
Our Practice will continue to operate a triage service. We introduced this system pre-Covid to improve access for all of our patients and in particular to make sure that urgent requests for appointments are dealt with by the appropriate Health Professional to improve continuity of care and to maximise the efficiency of our Health Care Team. The system has proven to be invaluable during the pandemic allowing us to manage the health needs of our patients throughout.
There will NOT be the option to make a face to face appointment with a Doctor or Clinician at the desk and please do not put the receptionist in a difficult situation by asking them. We would encourage patients to submit an eConsult but if you are unable to do this, to telephone the Practice and give some brief details to the call handler.
To maintain infection control we want to try to keep footfall in the Practice to a minimum and would like patients to contact the Practice using the many other communication routes or online services that are available for any routine enquiries such as prescription requests, etc. rather than attending the surgery in person.
At the time of writing one in 19 people have Covid so it is still a very significant infection risk in our community.
By following the above guidance you are continuing to help keep patients and staff as safe as possible.
Thank you
