Are you ready to #Do your bit this Winter?

People in the North East and North Cumbria are known for looking out for one another and pulling together through difficult times. With winter around the corner and the COVID-19 virus present in our community - the months ahead could be tough. So it is more important than ever that you #DoYourBit to protect yourself, your NHS and your community. 

For further information please click here

Booking a COVID Test

COVID tests are provided by the national NHS Track and Trace service to anyone who has the following symptoms:

• a high temperature
• a new, continuous cough
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

To book a test, call 119, or follow the link below

Book a COVID test through the Government portal

Online Telephone Appointments

Telephone consultations are now available to book online.  These are available to book 7 days in advance and on the day from 00.30am.

Repeat Prescriptions

As from 2^nd November 2020, we will no longer be taking repeat prescriptions over the phone. To order your prescription please do so via: 

• NHS APP (you do not need a username and password for this) More information on this in this prescription section.
• Online (you will need to request your username and password from the surgery if you don't already have one) 
• Put your paper prescription in the prescription box (tick boxes) - if you have lost your paper prescription, please write your name, DOB and what you need to order on a piece of paper 
• If the surgery is closed, you can post your prescription through the letterbox and it will be picked up the next working day

Flu Vaccination Programme 2020/21

As you are probably aware, this year will be a very challenging year for delivering the flu vaccine programme. Flu vaccinations will be given by appointments; there will be no walk in clinics. 

We will have some vaccines available for patients aged 65 years and over from Friday 25th September and will receive a second delivery on 13th October 2020. 

Vaccines for eligible patients under 65 years will be delivered to us in batches from 2nd October 2020 with the final delivery on 13th November 2020. 

If you would like to book an appointment please ring your usual surgery site. Please be patient with staff, there will be a limited number of appointments for each clinic based on the number of vaccines received. 

When attending your appointment we ask that you please follow these instructions: 

• Attend on your own unless you need help mobilising
• Walk to the Practice if you are able to. The only car parking at the surgery will be for blue badge holders. If you do need to drive, please be considerate of our neighbours if you park in the local area. 
• Do not arrive early or late for your appointment time: we have allocated a strict number of patients per period to ensure that people are queuing for the minimum of time and social distancing is maintained
• Please wear a face covering. If you are exempt from wearing a mask, please be prepared to provide evidence of this 
• We encourage you not to touch anything in the practice. Bring your own hand sanitiser to use should you wish to. 
• Please follow the instructions for queuing. The queue will be controlled to ensure social distancing. If you are in a wheelchair or have a very limited mobility, please make yourself known to the queue marshall who will be wearing a luminous yellow jacket. 
• If it is raining on the day, please come prepared with an umbrella as the queue will be outside for a period of time. 
• There will be no chairs available to sit while waiting and you will not be able to sit whilst having the vaccination (for infection control). If you think you will struggle with this, please speak to the queue marshall on arrival. 
• Wear clothing which makes it easy to expose your upper arm. The vaccinations will be given in the doorways of the rooms to comply with infection control. 
• Do not attend if you or any members of your household have symptoms of Coronavirus, or if you have been told to isolate. Contact us the following week and we will rebook you when you are able to leave isolation. 
• Please heed the instructions of the staff who are supervising the patient flow - they are there for your safety. 

Thank you 

Please note that people in the 50-64 year old age group will not vaccinated until November and December, providing there is sufficient vaccine and no appointments will be offered for this age group until then. This is to ensure that those who are most at risk are vaccinated first. If you are 50-64 and you are in one of the other groups which is eligible for the flu vaccination, for example you have a health condition which puts you at risk from the flu, you will be invited earlier. 

Exemption from wearing a face covering

We are aware that some patients might be understandably anxious about the Government’s recent announcements around the use of face masks in various public settings. GPs are unfortunately not in a position to provide individual risk assessments or letters for patients who feel that they should be exempt from wearing a face mask. The government guidance on exemptions suggests there is no requirement for evidence for exemption therefore it is sufficient for an individual to self-declare this. The responsibility for issuing exemptions lies with the transport provider not your GP. Similarly, practices are under no obligation to provide letters of support for anyone who does not fall under the list of exemptions but considers them to have another reason to be exempted. Government advice on the use of face coverings can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers#face-coverings Some people don’t have to wear a face covering including for health, age or equality reasons. Some transport staff may not wear a face covering if it is not required for their job. We hope that this guidance provides some reassurance for you on this issue.

COVID 19

As per government guidance we have moved to a telephone triage service

You may find it more convenient to submit an E-consult via the link on the homepage. You will receive a response from a clinician within 48 hours

If your problem is more urgent please contact the surgery and a telephone triage appointment will be arranged. If the clinician feels you need to be seen, please be reassured that a face to face appointment will be made.

The clinician might ask for pictures to be sent prior to a skin consultation, for guidance on this please click here

If you have a NEW persistent cough OR a high temperature above 37.8C OR have had loss/change in smell or taste and are worried you may have coronavirus you need to follow these guidelines

• If you live alone you should stay at home (self-isolate) for 7 days from the onset of symptoms following the current advice.
• If you live with others then you must stay at home for 7 days, but all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days
• After 7 days of self-isolation, people who feel better and no longer have a high temperature can return to their normal routine
• If they have serious symptoms that they cannot manage or have no signs of improvement after 7 days they should use NHS111

If your symptoms worsen please see NHS website for more information www.nhs.co.uk/coronavirus or call 111

Access to Primary Care Survey

We would be very grateful if you could complete the survey that was launched to find out about people's experiences of access to Primary Care and services provided in different ways during COVID-19.  This is to find out about patient experiences, what was good and what could be improved. Please click the following Link to the survey

Attending the Surgery

It is now a requirement for all patients to wear a face covering when entering the surgery for an appointment.  If you do have an appointment we would be grateful if you could come prepared with your face covering on.  This can be in the form of a mask, scarf, handkerchief or any sort of fabric item you have available.

To support the practice in adhering to social distancing rules we ask that you do not attend the practice until your appointment time, as we do not have adequate space in our waiting areas.  If you attend before your appointment time you may be asked to wait outside or in your car.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.