On 23 June, the Prime Minister announced changes to lockdown measures that would apply from 4 July. Read more about what you can and can’t do after 4 July.
The government has set out its plan to return life to as near normal as we can, for as many people as we can, as quickly and fairly as possible in order to safeguard livelihoods, but in a way that is safe and continues to protect our NHS.
The government has published guidance on staying safe outside your home and guidance on social distancing rules. This page sets out key FAQs to help you prepare for these changes.
This guidance applies in England – people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should follow the specific rules in those parts of the UK.
18.06.20
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are currently unable to carry out certain procedures at the Surgery such as ear syringing, wart freezing, joint injections, etc.
In the meantime, you can find information on many self-help options at the NHS.UK website or approach your pharmacy for advice.
We will keep you informed as soon as we know when these clinics will resume.
We are still carrying out childhood vaccinations and cervical smears so please book an appointment when you get your reminder letter. All clinical staff are wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for your safety and theirs. If you have any queries, please contact us.
😷FROM MONDAY 15TH OF JUNE😷
If attending the Beaconsfield Road Surgery sites for an appointment please wear a face mask, scarf, bandanna or something similar that covers your mouth and nose. This is for your own safety as well as the safety of the staff and other patients.
If you are offered a face-to-face appointment, please do not come to the Surgery more than 5 minutes before your appointment time. We now allow a maximum of 6 patients in the waiting room at any one time.
Please adhere to social distancing when admitted to the Surgery building.
Thank you for helping us all to stay safe.👌
UPDATE 04.06.20 - STATEMENT FROM DR MILAN RADIA AND DR LINDA PARKER:
Dear Patients
During this unfortunate pandemic crisis, we have been forced to review how we deliver safe high quality care to our patients. It's no surprise to any of you that a lot of our work has now become remote, based on telephone advice and video review.
As the crisis evolves, and official advice changes, we have reflected on our procedures.
We have reluctantly come to the conclusion that our old style "open surgeries" that occurred on Monday, Thursday and Friday mornings cannot be allowed to resume. There is manifestly a risk in having so many people in one waiting room at the same time. In order to provide access, all appointments will be managed by telephone first. There will be no FACE to FACE access , unless reviewed and triaged by telephone first.
We have increased capacity by dint of using allied health professionals, including clinical pharmacists, enhanced nurse practitioners , paramedic practitioner and a physiotherapist. We have telephone and/or digital access for advice, ( via the Engage-Consult application - see our website) now. Home visit requests will be triaged in the same way, and will obviously occur where clinically required for patient care. All Care Homes now have facilities to access our care in several different remote ways, and their care has already been transformed.
We recognise that there will be the occasional unusual situation, where a patient has no form of telephone or internet access. If this ( fortunately rare) situation occurs, then please do communicate with the senior administration team at the surgery, via your current method - we will endeavour to find a mutually acceptable way to facilitate care in this situation. There is access to interpreting services, including sign language - these may need to be booked in advance.
Together, we believe our team can continue to provide first rate care, either remotely or face-to-face when indicated.
Please do use all modalities to contact us as needed.
Kind regards
What can I do that I couldn’t do before?
From 13 June, you will be able to:
- Form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household if you live alone or are a single parent with dependent children - in other words, you are in a household where there is only one adult. All those in a support bubble will be able to act as if they live in the same household - meaning they can spend time together inside each other’s homes and do not need to stay 2 metres apart. Support bubbles should be exclusive - meaning you should not switch the household you are in a bubble with or connect with multiple households
- Attend your place of worship for the purposes of individual prayer
From 15 June:
- You will be able to visit any type of shop and some additional outdoor attractions - drive-in cinemas, zoos, and safari parks
- Year 10 and 12 pupils in secondary schools and further education colleges will begin to receive some face to face support
- You will have to wear a face covering on public transport
You will still be able to meet outdoors with groups of up to six people from different households, provided social distancing is observed and you stay 2 metres away from anyone outside your household or support bubble.
As before, you cannot:
Get NHS help online
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak means you should stay at home as much as possible, but it's still easy to get NHS help using your smartphone, tablet or computer.
This page has information to help you:
- order repeat prescriptions
- contact your GP
- find out about urgent dental treatment
- manage long-term conditions
- maintain your mental and physical well-being
If you need an NHS service, try to do it online first. This helps everyone to follow social distancing.
Patient Registrations during Covid-19 emergency
During the Covid-19 emergency your GP practice, like the rest of the NHS, is prioritising patient care.
To minimise administrative work, all GP practices locally are requesting that you (and other members of your family) do not seek to re-register with another GP practice at this time. You should only ask to register with a new GP practice if:
-You, and your family, have physically moved to a new house and are now living in a new GP practices area
-You have a new-born baby, or a newly adopted baby or child
-You are a first degree relative of a currently registered patient who has returned to live with their family
-You do not currently have a GP, and need to register with one
If you have moved to a new house, but remain within your current GPs practice area, please do not re-register with a new GP practice at the present time, even if you intend to do so in the future.
Please do not seek to register with a new GP practice unless one of these four reasons apply to you.
If you are registering and using our online portal Engage Consult to do so, please do not send in more than 1 patient's details at a time. Each new patient must be submitted individually. If you are unsure, please ring the Surgery on 01424 755355. Any submissions which contain details of more than 1 patient at a time will be rejected and you will have to submit them again.
Thank you
UPDATE 01.06.20
Staying at home and shielding - NEW ADVICE
People classed as clinically extremely vulnerable are advised to take additional action to prevent themselves from coming into contact with the virus. If you’re clinically extremely vulnerable, you’re strongly advised to stay at home as much as possible and keep visits outside to a minimum (for instance once per day).
This is called ‘shielding’ and the advice is now updated:
If you wish to spend time outdoors (though not in other buildings, households, or enclosed spaces) you should take extra care to minimise contact with others by keeping 2 metres apart.
If you choose to spend time outdoors, this can be with members of your own household. If you live alone, you can spend time outdoors with one person from another household (ideally the same person each time).
You should stay alert when leaving home: washing your hands regularly, maintaining social distance and avoiding gatherings of any size.
You should not attend any gatherings, including gatherings of friends and families in private spaces, for example, parties, weddings and religious services.
You should strictly avoid contact with anyone who is displaying symptoms of COVID-19 (a new continuous cough, a high temperature, or a loss of, or change in, your sense of taste or smell).
The Government is currently advising people to shield until 30 June 2020 and is regularly monitoring this position.
UPDATE 28.05.20
The NHS test and trace service:
- ensures that anyone who develops symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) can quickly be tested to find out if they have the virus, and also includes targeted asymptomatic testing of NHS and social care staff and care home residents
- helps trace close recent contacts of anyone who tests positive for coronavirus and, if necessary, notifies them that they must self-isolate at home to help stop the spread of the virus
We are introducing this service to help return life more to normal, in a way that is safe and protects our NHS and social care. The service will allow us to trace the spread of the virus and isolate new infections and play a vital role in giving us early warning if the virus is increasing again, locally or nationally.
How NHS test and trace service works
Part 1: for someone with symptoms of coronavirus
isolate: as soon as you experience coronavirus symptoms, medical advice is clear: you must self-isolate for at least 7 days. Anyone else in your household must self-isolate for 14 days from when you started having symptoms
test: order a test immediately at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or call 119 if you have no internet access
results: if your test is positive, you must complete the remainder of your 7-day self-isolation. Anyone in your household must also complete self-isolation for 14 days from when you started having symptoms. If your test is negative, you and other household members no longer need to self-isolate
share contacts: if you test positive for coronavirus, the NHS test and trace service will send you a text or email alert or call you with instructions of how to share details of people with whom you have had close, recent contact and places you have visited. It is important that you respond as soon as possible so that we can give appropriate advice to those who need it. You will be told to do this online via a secure website or you will be called by one of our contract tracers.
alert: you will be alerted by the NHS test and trace service if you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. The alert will usually come by text, email or phone call. You should then log on to the NHS test and trace website, which is normally the easiest way for you and the service to communicate with each other – but, if not, a trained call handler will talk you through what you must do. Under-18s will get a phone call and a parent or guardian will be asked to give permission for the call to continue
isolate: you will be told to begin self-isolation for 14 days from your last contact with the person who has tested positive. It’s really important to do this even if you don’t feel unwell because, if you have been infected, you could become infectious to others at any point up to 14 days. Your household doesn’t need to self-isolate with you, if you do not have symptoms, but they must take extra care to follow the guidance on social distancing and handwashing and avoid contact with you at home
test if needed: if you develop symptoms of coronavirus, other members of your household must self-isolate immediately at home for 14 days and you must book a test at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or call 119 if you have no internet access. If your test is positive, you must continue to stay at home for at least 7 days and we will get in touch to ask about your contacts since they must self-isolate. If your test is negative, you must still complete your 14-day self-isolation period because the virus may not be detectable yet - this is crucial to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE GO TO THE GOVERNMENT WEBSITE AT https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-how-it-works
One You Couch to 5K is a 9 week running programme that can encourage even complete beginners to become more active, by making it easy and fun.
Starting by running for just a minute at a time, the programme sets realistic expectations and makes the challenge feel achievable from the start. The app has also been updated to link to the latest advice on social distancing guidelines when exercising.
Why not join the half-a-million people who have got started with the One You Couch to 5K app over the past 8 weeks?
UPDATE 26.05.20
Help and support from the Surgery.
If you need to contact a GP, do not come to the surgery in person.
-visit the website www.beaconsfieldroadsurgery.co.uk/, or use an online service to contact us
We will then give you advice about what to do.
A phone or video call with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional may be booked for you.
You'll only be asked to visit the surgery if absolutely necessary.
Please be aware that the Surgery is very busy at the moment and you may have to wait longer than usual to speak to someone if it's not urgent.
We will then give you advice about what to do.
Our staff are here to help you. We operate a 'zero tolerance' policy regarding abuse. You may be removed from our Practice list if you are aggressive or rude to the staff.
We are currently experiencing an increase in demand for our services and we are working hard to ensure that we prioritise and triage calls appropriately and safely. Please visit the NHS.UK website for self-help information and self-referral guidance.
UPDATE 18.05.2020
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE TO COVID-19 SYMPTOMS
From today the general clinical case definition for
COVID-19 has been updated to include loss of or change in smell or taste. It is now:
New continuous cough OR fever OR loss of/ change in smell or taste
Everyone, including health and social care workers, should self-isolate if they develop a new continuous cough or fever or loss of/ change
in smell or taste.
The individual/s household should also self-isolate for 14 days as per the current guidelines and the individual should stay at home for 7
days, or longer if they still have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell or taste.
We have upgraded to the next phase of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) which will mean that almost all our prescriptions will be processed electronically.
Electronic prescriptions help save the NHS money.
Read more about EPS on the NHS website.
📞 Please be aware that if you book a phone call with the Surgery, it will show on your phone as an 'unknown number' when the doctor calls you back.
As a woman fleeing domestic abuse, you may want to access specialist refuge accommodation. The Helpline can help you find a refuge vacancy for you and your children; call us for more information.
We can also support you to find other specialist services in your community, which can provide support whether or not you have left your partner.
Ask family, friends and neighbours to support you and use online services. If this is not possible, then the public sector, business, charities and the general public are gearing up to help those advised to stay at home. Please discuss your daily needs during this period of staying at home with carers, family, friends, neighbours or local community groups to see how they can support you. Please visit gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable to register for the support that you need. This includes help with food, shopping deliveries and additional care you might need.
The government is helping pharmacies to deliver prescriptions. Prescriptions will continue to cover the same length of time as usual. If you do not currently have your prescriptions collected or delivered, you can arrange this by:
You may also need to arrange for collection or delivery of hospital specialist medication that is prescribed to you by your hospital care team.
If you receive support from health and social care organisations, for example, if you have care provided for you through the local authority or health care system, this will continue as normal. Your health or social care provider will be asked to take additional precautions to make sure that you are protected. The advice for formal carers is included in the home care provision.