Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The NHS in the North East and Public Health England (PHE) are 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.

The Chief Medical Officer has announced that the country is moving into the ‘Delay’ stage of the response to coronavirus from Friday, 13th March 2020.

The new advice issued by the Chief Medical Officer is as follows:

Stay at home for 7 days if you have either:

• a high temperature
• a new continuous cough

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

You do not need to contact 111 to tell them you're staying at home.

Use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service if:

• you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home
• your condition gets worse
• your symptoms do not get better after 7 days

Only call 111 if you cannot get help online.

Stay At Home advice can be found here

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.

More information can be found on the NHS website here

Travel Plans & Coronavirus

The surgery is currently receiving a lot of travel requests for travel cancellation forms from people who want to cancel their trips due to the risk of contracting Coronavirus.  Please click here for advice from the Foreign Office regarding travelling to specific areas of the world.  depending on your specific travel insurance policy, most insurance companies will cover cancelled trips to countries which the Foreign Office advise not to travel.  No certificate from your GP is required.

In addition please be advised that the surgery is unable to provide letters or certificates to travel insurance companies supporting requests for refunds by patients who, without any specific medical illness, cancel their travel plans

Online Appointments

All online face to face appointments have been removed with immediate effect in line with guidance from NHS England.  This is to reduce the risk of a patient presenting at the surgery with Coronavirus. 

Saturday Morning Surgeries

From April 2020 there will no longer be a Saturday morning surgery at our Framwellgate Moor site.  Saturday appointments will be available at the Extended Hours Service at Meadowfield Surgery from 8am to 6pm.

Non NHS Repeat Prescription Services

We have been made aware of repeat prescription services that are not legitimate NHS services currently being advertised. Be cautious if an individual offers to pick up your prescription for you at a cost.

Anyone signing up to this service should be aware that it is not endorsed by, or aligned to any NHS organisation. Patients will be signing up to a private contractual agreement between themselves and the individual providing the service. We would strongly advise any patient thinking of signing up to this service to ensure that they consider whether it complies with data protection act (DPA) and general data protection regulations (GDPR)  in relation to how their information will be stored and processed.

Any advertisement for a legitimate NHS service offering repeat prescription service will display the NHS logo and the contact details of the organisation(s) providing this.  If you have any questions or concerns about a service that you have seen advertised in your local area, please check with your surgery.