CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) TESTING FOR PATIENTS
Can I get a test?
If you are registered at Aspatria Medical Group and you have developed symptoms (such as a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste) within the past 6 days, you are eligible for a test from our practice.
How do I get the test?
As soon as you develop symptoms, call us on 01697320209 and ask for a test. The test needs to be done within seven days of you first developing symptoms. This can be picked up at the GP practice by a well neighbour or family member/friend or it can be posted to you by the practice.
What does it involve?
You will receive a testing kit which will include a cotton bud to be used to swab the inside of both your nostrils. (All children should be swabbed by a parent or guardian.)
Make sure you do the test as soon as you receive it. After you have cleaned the package with the provided alcohol wipe, make sure it is safely returned using the prepaid envelope.
All instructions on testing and safe posting are provided within the testing kit.
How will I get my results?
The test will be processed within one day of receipt at the lab. Results are then entered electronically or posted to your GP practice who will inform you via text or, phone call.
Why is this important?
COVID-19 surveillance is vital for public health surveillance. It enables us to monitor the spread of the virus over time, across age groups and regions in a nationally representative population. This type of surveillance is essential for estimating the burden of disease and informs modelling of the progression of the pandemic in England.
If you have been experiencing symptoms over the last 7 days we invite you take part in our testing programme - even if you have taken a community test! Please call us at Aspatria Medical Group and we will immediately organise a self-swabbing kit for you.
Key messages to the public:
Anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days.
If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.
After 14 days, anyone you live with who does not have symptoms can return to their normal routine.
But, if anyone in your home gets symptoms, they should stay at home for 7 days from the day their symptoms start. Even if it means they're at home for longer than 14 days.
This action will help protect others in your community whilst you are infectious.
Plan ahead and ask others for help to ensure that you can successfully stay at home.
Ask your employer, friends and family to help you to get the things you need to stay at home.
Stay at least two metres (about three steps) away from other people in your home whenever possible.
Sleep alone, if that is possible.
Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, each time using soap and water.
Stay away from vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, as much as possible.
You do not need to call NHS111 to go into self-isolation. If your symptoms worsen during home isolation, or are no better after seven days, use the NHS 111 online service. If you have no internet access, you should call NHS 111. For a medical emergency only, dial 999.
We are being asked to provide a lot of sick notes for those who are self isolating due to Coronavirus this is not necessary and guidance is:
Employees should take time off work if they’re ill.
By law, medical evidence is not required for the first 7 days of sickness (that is, employees can self-certify). After 7 days, it is for the employer to determine what evidence they require, if any, from the employee. To make it easier for people to provide evidence to their employer th...at they need to stay at home, we are developing an alternative form of evidence to the fit note. These will shortly be available through NHS 111 online.
In the meantime, we continue to urge employers to respect the need to stay at home where they are following government advice to do so and to show flexibility in the evidence they require from employees.
Full guidance can be found at GOV.UK
https://www.gov.uk/…/guidan…/covid-19-guidance-for-employees
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PATIENTS:
CORONAVIRUS
For your protection the NHS has agreed for the practice to move to telephone triage beginning 13th March 2020. Please call as normal for an appointment ( on the day you require an appointment) and then an appropriate clinician will call you back. If deemed safe and necessary you will be invited in for a face to face consultation.
All routine face to face appointments that have been booked in advance will be reverted to telephone ca...lls where possible and a clinician will telephone those patients around the time of their scheduled appointment.
The safety of all patients is of paramount importance to us and we would like to reassure you that we are taking as many precautions as we possibly can.
Please note repeat prescriptions will be processed as normal and sent to your designated chemist for collection.Please do not come into the surgery to order your prescription, please use our online service if you are registerd or alternatively ring our dedicated prescription line on 01697322491.
For further information on COVD-19 ( coronavirus) please visit the UK Government website.If you suspect you have the virus please self-isolate and contact 111.
Please remember that all telephone calls are recorded for training and quality purposes.
Keeping it Green
We as a Practice are signed up to the Green Impact Scheme. This is a scheme to help general practices become more efficient and to improve sustainability.
Earcare
We no longer providing Ear irrigation services here at the Health Centre.
Helpful advice can be found in this leaflet
Earcare
Download our new appointment bookings app to your smartphone for free.
myGP was developed to make access to healthcare easier and faster for patients. Once downloaded, simply log-in with your date of birth and mobile number and add the people you care for, allowing you to book and cancel appointments for them. It’s really that easy! For more information, please visit: mygp.com
Patient Liaison Group
Our next patient liaison group meeting will take place on Tuesday 8th October at 7pm in the Health Centre.
We are currently looking for new members, if you are interested in joining the group why not come along? All welcome
Extended Access
GDPR
Data Protection law is changing and we want to keep you up to date with the steps the Practice is taking. On the 25th May the General Data Protection Regulation, known as GDPR, comes into effect. GDPR imposes additional obligations on organisations and gives you extra rights around how your data is used. We want you to know that we respect the information we hold on you and that we take the security of your information very seriously. We have recently published a new Privacy Notice to give you more information on the data we hold on you, what we do with that data, who we share your data with and your new rights under GDPR. Our updated Privacy Notice is available to view now.
Practice Privacy Notice
Do you need physiotherapy?
Back problems?
Stiff joints?
Muscle injuries?
Strains or sprains?
We are trying out a new way for you to get an appointment to see a muscoskeletal Physiotherapist at Wigton Community Hospital.
If you wish to access the service in this way and are over 16 years of age please complete a self-referral form by printing the form below, or asking for a form at the reception of your GP's surgery and post it to:
Wigton Community Hospital,Cross Lane,Wigton,CA7 9DD.
Self-referral physiotherapy form
This self referral system does not necessarily mean you will receive immediate treatment. Depending on the nature of your condition and the number of referrals received, you may be placed on a waiting list for a physiotherapy appointment.
You can access advice about various conditions on the local Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust website.
http://www.cumbriapartnership.nhs.uk/musculoskeletal.htm
Certain conditions may be better treated by other specialist services, for example neurological conditions. In this instance you should discuss your condition and options available with your GP.Under 16’s require referral by their GP.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics aren’t always needed when you feel unwell. Coughs, earache and sore throats can get better by themselves. Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them puts you and your family at risk and antibiotics encourages harmful bacteria that live inside you to become resistant. This means antibiotics may not work when you need them. Antibiotics are essential for treating serious bacterial infections, such as meningitis, pneumonia and sepsis. Always take your doctor’s advice on antibiotics. Help #KeepAntibioticsWorking
CQC Report
The Care Quality Commission, a government agency that inspects all providers of health services visited the practice on 7th December,2018
We are delighted to report we met all their inspection criteria and obtained an overall rating of good.Please see attached the report
CQC Report
Blood Donors
The blood donation service is facing a constant challenge to recruit new blood donors. If this issomething that you may be interested in please cal the helpline on 03001232323 or register online at blood.co.uk
Fit for Work
Have you been off work sick for more than 4 weeks? Why not contact Fit for Work? Fit for Work is a service that is provided by occupational health professionals that will listen to your concerns and help you with a personalised & practical step by step Return to Work Plan. For further information call 08000326235 or online at www.fitforwork.org
Named GP for all Patients
All patients at Aspatria Medical Group have a named GP who is responsible for your overall care at the practice.
Patients should be aware that this GP is not the sole provider of your care, and you can continue to see others in the practice as you currently do.
New patients are allocated a named GP when registering with the Surgery. If you wish to know who your named GP is, please contact reception.
Patient access to their GP record
Here at Aspatria Medical Group we now allow patients access to their medical records in line with national guidance.
The summary will include current medications, allergies, adverse reactions, test results and coded consultations.
Aspatria Medical Group paracetamol prescribing policy
Paracetamol or ibuprofen are the first choice treatments for pain and fever in adults and children and are cheap, safe and readily available. The practice policy is that we do not prescribe them for occasional use as it is normal for a household to keep a supply for family members in the event of aches, pains and fever. This policy includes paracetamol or ibuprofen suspension (e.g. Calpol and Nurofen) for infants and children as we would expect you to keep a supply in case it is needed for colds, earache etc.
For those patients being treated for chronic pain we will continue to prescribe them if indicated.
Automated Blood pressure machine
This machine takes your blood pressure,your height and weight and your pulse.It also gives you the opportunity to tell us your smoking status.
We hope by having this machine it will give patients greater flexibility as no appointments are necesasry.
If you would like to use the machine please pop along to the surgery and ask at reception for a token.
REPEAT PRESCRIPTION PHONELINE : 016973 22491
We now operate an automated telephone service for repeat prescriptions on 016973 22491. This number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week allowing patients to call and leave their medication requests at times convenient for themselves.
We hope that by having a dedicated prescription line separate to the main surgery number 016973 20209 callers requesting appointments, home visits etc will experience fewer delays in having their calls answered.
Please use 016973 22491 to order your repeat medications as the previous options on the main number is no longer available.