Reception opening hours: 8.00am – 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Call 01948 860 205
Dispensary opening hours: 8am to 1pm & 3pm to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Ouf Hours: 6.30pm – 8.00am and all weekend. Call 111 (NHS freephone)

IMPORTANT: Coronavirus

We continue to operate the surgery to protect our patients, doctors and staff from possible COVID-19 infection. To help us to do this the front entrance door and disabled access doors are closed. Following NHS England guidelines our Doctors and Nurses are speaking to patients on the telephone in the first instance. However some appointments for the Practice Nurse, Phlebotomy (blood appointments) and Health Care Assistant are continuing without prior telephone consultation.

These are for

  • Blood monitoring (INR, Methotrexate, Lithium and other medications that need monitoring)
  • B12 Injections and other regular injections (Nebido, Zoladex, Prostap, Tinzaparin, Vitamin D, Depo-provera )
  • ECG’s (requested by a clinician)
  • Vaccinations (MMR, Whooping cough for pregnant women, pneumonia, shingles, flu and Childhood Immunisations
  • Dressings and Removal of stitches
  • Doppler and measure stockings
  • Smear tests for ladies.

Long Term Condition appointments will also be by telephone consultation with our nurses. We will contact you to make these arrangements.

What to do if you are unwell:

Please do not come to the practice, contact us by telephone on the usual number. The Receptionists will arrange for a member of the clinical team to phone you back. This may be on the same day or can be booked ahead if non urgent. Please make sure that you are available to take this call, the clinicians will try twice if they are unable to get a reply the first time. For confidentiality purposes we withhold the surgery telephone number so it is important that your telephone can take calls from withheld numbers. Also, if you are using a mobile, please make sure the phone is on loud rather than silent to ensure you do not miss the call. Wherever possible the Doctor or Nurse will deal with your problem over the telephone. We will make arrangements for you if you need to be seen.

It is extremely helpful to prepare for a telephone consultation so please give thought to what you want to say to the Doctor or Nurse. To assist with the consultation the clinician might suggest using a video consultation. We are using the accuRx service for video consultations with patients when appropriate. Please click on the links below for information about our video consultations:

https://support.accurx.com/en/collections/2279595-accurx-for-patients

This will give you information about how video consultations work, please look at it before you have your telephone consultation with the clinician. If the clinician wishes to consult by video, before it is due to start the clinician will send a text message to your phone with a secure link to join. You may not be able to see the Doctor or Nurse on your screen but they will be able to see you.

If your consultation is regarding a rash or a lump then we may suggest you send us 1 or 2 photographs in advance.  Please ensure the focus is clear and the photo is taken in well-lit surroundings. Click on the link for an easy How To video at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFbLbfsjpqk

If we identify that you have symptoms of the Coronavirus you will be asked to self-isolate for 7 days.  We will make arrangements for you if you need to be seen.

Prescriptions:

Please order your repeat prescription in the usual way:

  • Request online.  We recommend that you use this method – it is the most efficient way of ordering. If not registered, either download the NHS App and sign up for this service or telephone the surgery to register for Patient Access. You can then order your repeat medication electronically.
  • Put a written request for your prescription in the mailbox on the outside of the front door.
  • AS A LAST RESORT – telephone the Dispensary between the hours of 08:00 and 09:00.

We use the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) to send the prescription electronically to our Dispensary or the pharmacy of your choice for dispensing. This reduces the need for patients to come to the practice to collect their prescription. The Dispensers can discuss this with you.

Patients will continue to collect their prescription from the Dispensary through one of the small external windows to the right of the Patient Entrance Door. Please ensure you are 2 metres apart from anyone else collecting at the same time. If possible, please pay by card – the current charge is £9.15 per item.

If you are worried about how you will get your prescription please speak to a family member or neighbour to ask if they can collect it for you. Otherwise we are working closely with Malpas Community Links and other Volunteers who can collect your prescription for you. Please speak to a member of staff who will give you the volunteers contact details.

REMINDER for patients and people who may be collecting medication for others:

  • It is still 5 working days notice for medication.
  • Please park in an un-numbered parking space or on the road when collecting your prescription.
  • If a family member, friend or neighbour is collecting your medication, they will need to know your full name, address and number of items they are collecting.
  • Please make sure you have any payment exemptions available for the Dispensary staff to see

Our Patient Group members have kindly reviewed this communication. We hope you find the advice useful, please follow and monitor our website for updates. Please be reassured our priority is the health and safety of all our patients, staff and Doctors. We ask you to remain courteous to our staff at all times, we are following the instructions of NHS England and Public Health to minimise the chance of spreading the Coronavirus. This is a very challenging time for us all and we really appreciate your co-operation during this period of uncertainty.

Attending an appointments at the surgery:

  • Only patients who have been invited for an appointment by a Doctor or Nurse will be allowed into the practice. Anyone who attempts to gain access to the surgery who has not been invited will be asked to leave the premises.
  • Please come alone unless you need to come with a Carer. For children, only one Parent/Guardian will be allowed to accompany the child.
  • Everyone will be asked the COVID-19 screening questions before being allowed into the practice.
  • Please wear a mask or scarf to cover your nose and mouth all the time you are with the clinician. If you do not have one, we will provide a mask for you to put on before you enter the premises.
  • Children age 11years and over will be expected to wear a mask when attending.
  • The Car Park has become our new “Waiting Room”. If at all possible come by car and park in one of the numbered car parking spaces. If you come on foot please wait under the Bike Shed outside the main entrance door.

Due to the lack of space and the strict need to socially distance yourself from others, please come for your appointment at the given time, not 10 minutes early.

  • Ring the telephone number given to you to let us know you have arrived and which space you have parked in – the no. is 01948 862213.
  • REMAIN in your car or under the Bike Shed – please do not walk around the Car Park. You will be collected by the Doctor or Nurse you are seeing. They will be wearing protective clothing and a face mask to help prevent the spread of viral infection.
  • Doctors and Staff are following the NHSE/PHE guidelines on wearing masks in all areas within the practice.
  • You will enter the building through one door and follow a one way system, exiting through a different door to ensure minimal contact with others.
  • Please remember to use the hand sanitiser provided when entering the building. You can also ask to wash your hands.
  • We have separate access doors and designated rooms for patients who are shielding or vulnerable or who have COVID-19 symptoms.

Don’t Put Off Seeing Your Doctor

We want to reassure everyone that despite COVID-19 we are still operating daily for your medical needs. We appreciate that some patents think the current demands facing Surgeries are more pressing but it is vital that the day-to-day needs of our patients are managed as well. Please be assured that there is capacity to treat patients for conditions other than COVID-19.

  • If you are worried about symptoms, then please call the surgery.
  • Call 999 in a medical emergency such as a heart attack or stroke.
  • If you have a long-term health condition for which you are regularly seen by a consultant or in a clinic you should have been told how your care will be provided. If not, you should call them and ask for advice.
  • A reminder to all – moles still need to be checked, sick children need examination, depression needs to be discussed, severe headaches need investigation … the list goes on.
  • If, of course, you consider you might be suffering with COVID-19 symptoms then you should use the NHS 111 online facility – https://111.nhs.uk/service/covid-19

We want to reassure you that our Doctors and Nurses are working daily. Not only are they available for telephone appointments, they will see patients if they consider it necessary. We do not want to be in a position when the lockdown rules are relaxed, that we are overwhelmed at either Surgery or, indeed, at A&E.

If you think you could be affected by the Coronavirus:

If you are worried you could be affected, please isolate yourself, and then the current advice is to use the online 111 service:

https://111.nhs.uk/service/covid-19

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, if you need help with another matter, please don’t come to the surgery – ask for a phone-call with a clinician instead.

General information:

The NHS in Cheshire and Public Health England (PHE) are extremely well prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases. The NHS has put in place measures to ensure the safety of all patients and NHS staff while also ensuring services are available to the public as normal. You can find the latest information and advice here

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Everyone is being reminded to follow Public Health England advice to:

  • Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

Contact information including emergency GP appointments:

  • If you have a life-threatening medical emergency please dial 999.
  • During surgery hours 8.00am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday please call the surgery on 01948 860 205
  • Extended hours: All patients can now book a routine appointment, up to two weeks in advance, in the evenings and on Saturday mornings at the practice. Call 0300 123 7740, option 3 or find out more…
  • You can get 24 hour advice by calling the free NHS 111 service.
  • Out of hours – from 6.30pm to 8.00am and at weekends please dial 111.
    Calls to the NHS 111 service are free from both landlines and mobiles.
  • You can find out useful information at the Patient UK website.

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Page last updated: 16 June, 2020