02.06.2020
Covid Government update for patients in the shielding group.
Morning everyone. It's been a while since we had any news to give you. I posted the full Government guidelines last night when it came through but thought I would post this summary of what the changes mean for those of you who have been self isolating for what must seem like an eternity now.
" The update from Government comes into effect from 1st June. In summary the changes are:
o The advice for people identified as clinically extremely vulnerable is that they should continue to shield until at least the 30 June but from 1 June, they can spend a short period of time outdoors each day with members of their household, still maintaining 2m distance from others.
o If the shielded person lives alone, the Government is advising they can meet one other person from a different household, maintaining strict social distancing. The advice is that this be the same person each time.
o Important aspects of Government’s policy and guidance remain the same. Apart from going outside once per day, a shielded person should continue to avoid all non-essential face to face contact. This means they should still not go shopping or to pharmacies.
o The support for shielded people remains in place and unchanged.
The Government has also confirmed that it will be reviewing shielding guidance alongside wider changes to social distancing, including plans to write to those on the shielding patients list with information about next steps on shielding after the next review on 15 June. "
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We aren't out of the woods by a long way yet and still need to be extremely careful about hand washing and keeping 2m distance from others.
If you are asked to come into the surgery you will be requested to wear a mask or, if you don't have one, wear something that you can cover your nose and mouth with, ie a snood or a scarf. This is not compulsory but it will help to keep you and the doctor/nurse safe while you are in the building.
Thanks and enjoy your day.
13.05.2020 Patient information
FACE TO FACE APPOINTMENTS WITH THE NURSE OR DOCTOR
Morning everyone. It looks as though we are going to have some showery and cold days until Friday.
There's no shelter outside the building and we can't erect one because of the length it would need to be for social distancing. Can we therefore suggest that, if you are arriving by car and have a mobile phone that you call reception 01668 281740 and tell them that you're here for your appointment and then they'll ring you back when the doctor or nurse is ready to see you so you can come straight in rather than stand in the cold and wet. This system can also be used at any time for the elderly or infirm, mum's with babies and young children or anyone who would prefer to wait in the car to aid social distancing.
For others, I'm afraid at the moment there's no alternative apart from wearing a warm coat and bringing an umbrella - sorry.
11.05.2020 Patient Information
Following the briefing by the Prime Minister yesterday nothing changes at Glendale from an operational point of view and we will continue to operate a total triage system.
If you require medical or administrative advice from the surgery please complete an E-Consult form, the link being on the home page of the website.
Where medical advice is needed, a clinician will call you back in the first instance and has the option of telephone and video consultations or if a face to face appointment is needed will arrange this with you.
The surgery doors remain locked but we are here for our patients so please contact us if you need to, don't put things off.
Thank you for your support in these very challenging times and our best wishes to you all.
BULLETIN
This bulletin is aimed at people in the 'VERY HIGH RISK' groups (clinically extremely vulnerable) and the 'HIGH RISK'(clinically vulnerable) groups. These were previously classed as High Risk and Moderate Risk but the Government has re-named these groups which has caused some confusion.
From information received this morning, the Government is now advising people in this group to shield until at least the 30th June. Further information about shielding will be published in due course by the Government and individuals who are currently shielding will be notified.
For people in this group who have registered on the Government website for support and have not received it, the Government is working on this to resolve the issue but you should re-register ensuring you have entered your NHS number and your name and address as used in your NHS records.
As a reminder, the people in the Very High Risk group are those who:
* have had an organ transplant
* are having chemotherapy or antibody treatment for cancer,
* are having an intense course of radiotherapy for lung cancer
* are having targeted cancer treatments than can affect the
* have blood or bone marrow cancer (such as leukaemia,
* have had a bone marrow or stem cell transplant in the past
6 months or are still taking immunosuppressant
* have been told by a doctor that they have a severe lung
condition (such as cystic fibrosis, severe asthma or
* have a condition that means they have a very high risk of
getting infections (such as SCID or sickle cell)
* are taking medicine that makes them much more likely to
get infections (such as high doses of steroids)
* were born with a serious heart condition and are pregnant
HIGH RISK (previously moderate risk) GROUPS
The change in names has caused confusion among those who follow the Government updates and who are asking if they should also be shielding now. The answer is NO but they do need to be aware that they are in this group and carry out strict Social Distancing rules. We have been asked to code all these patients so that they can be easily identified when lock-down restrictions are lifted as they may be given different guidance to those who are at low risk. We have not been given any information about what the differences for this group may be.
This Group includes people who:
* have heart disease (such as heart failure)
* have a lung condition that's not severe (such as asthma,
COPD, emphysema or bronchitis)
* have chronic kidney disease
* have liver disease (such as hepatitis)
* have a condition affecting the brain or nerves (such as
Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple
sclerosis or cerebral palsy)
* have a condition that means they have a high risk of getting
* are taking medicine that can affect the immune system
(such as a low dose of steroids)
* are very obese (with a BMI of 40 or above)