Friday 30th July 2021 - we are currently experiencing problems with our telephone lines, this is affecting Nottinghamshire and is beyond our control. Our IT supplier is working hard to resolve the issue and we hope to be up and running soon. Thank you for being patient patients!
Wearing of Masks from Monday 19th July -
Throughout the pandemic we have strived to make the practice as safe as possible for all our patients and staff. We will continue to do so going forward.
From Monday 19th July nothing will change at the practice - patients will need to still wear a mask and we ask all attending to please us the hand sanitiser provided in the practice. Socially distanced measures will still be in place. Staff will continue to wear PPE.
We have come so far in trying to minimise the impact of Covid, we are sure you understand we need to keep the practice as safe for ALL patient and our staff as we can.
Thank you for understanding. The Partners
Covid Vaccinations
The current patients are being offered the Covid -19 vaccination:
Who can get the COVID-19 vaccine
The NHS is currently offering the COVID-19 vaccine to people most at risk from coronavirus.
In England, the vaccine is being offered in some hospitals and pharmacies, at local centres run by GPs and at larger vaccination centres. More centres are opening all the time.
It's being given to:
Currently, the booking system is open to all those aged 18 and over, carers and those who are classed as clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely vulnerable.
If you haven’t already booked, please call 119 or visit the book or manage your covid 19 vaccination to book a vaccine at the most convenient location to you. We also have clinics at the practice for our registered patients, please contact us to make an appointment.
The Covid-19 vaccine is safe, simple, and will offer you and those around you the best protection against this virus. It is never too late to change your mind if you have previously said no
We know that patients are anxious to get their vaccination but please be patient and wait until your group is called for.
Advice on how to get your Covid-19 Vaccination Status.
People in England who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 can demonstrate their vaccination status for international travel. A full course is currently two doses of any approved vaccine. Vaccine status will be available from:
If you cannot access these online services, and you have had 2 vaccines, you can request a paper letter from the NHS by calling 119. Only call 119 if you had your second dose more than 5 working days ago. It may take 7 working days for the letter to arrive. You cannot request a paper letter from your GP. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/demonstrating-your-covid-19-vaccination-status-when-travelling-abroad
'NEW Contact us online'
You can contact us about a medical, administrative or prescription issue by clicking HERE . Answer a few short questions and we will get back to you within 2 working days. Please DO NOT use this online form for urgent or emergency requests. The submitted forms will only be read during working hours 9.00 am - 5.00 pm. The forms will not be read on the weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) or on bank holidays. They will not be read Monday-Friday between the hours of 5.00 pm - 9.00 am.
Please also note that if you ask for a specific time that you wish to be contacted, unfortunately we may not always be able to comply with this.
How we are Currently Operating:
We would like to thank our patients & our hard working staff for adhering to the changes we have made over the last few months with regard to Coronavirus, these certainly have been challenging times. We hope you are continuing advice 08.03.21
to follow Government Guidelines and being sensible with social distancing.
Unfortunately, we still a long way from providing 'normal' services as we did before. We have put measures in place such as 2m distancing before entering the practice, had screens put up in our reception area, distanced our waiting area chairs, completely changed our way of working through telephone & video consultations to name but a few. We would also encourage patients that are attending for an appointment to wear a mask, scarf or face covering. The press have unfortunately perceived general practice as not seeing patients face to face, we would like to enforce if there is a clinical need to see a patient we will ask you to come down to the practice, this has been the case since March. It is not clinically necessary to see all patients face to face hence the reason for a telephone consultation first or a video consultation.
We can still only have a limited amount of chairs in the waiting area that can be of use, this means we are doing our very best to distance anyone attending surgery by staggering patient appointment times as we are already seeing patients for urgent bloods, dressings, cytology, continuing to see antenatal and postnatal ladies and children's vaccinations but this is understandably difficult to go back to providing routine care. Unfortunately we will be unable to do ear-syringing at the moment and some minor procedures.
As you can appreciate we are unable to provide pre-bookable appointments yet, we will continue to deal with all appointments by triaging patients over the phone and if the clinician wishes to see you, an appointment will be given at a suitable time. Please do not come down to the practice to be seen without speaking to a clinician first, you will be turned away as this is a risk to yourself and others. If you are worried about cancer symptoms please do not delay in ringing and speaking to us.
If you are given an appointment please arrive on time (not early) and preferably on your own (if you can) this also helps with distancing control measures.
We thank you again for your continued support and help during these unprecedented times.
Please also visit LIVE WELL for advice and tips on healthy eating/exercise/alcohol and a whole host of help and ideas to help you make the best choices about your physical health, mental health and wellbeing during lockdown.
Covid Safety Netting Advice
Please see link for isolation advice: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/isolation/
Mental Health Awareness
Every Mind Matters has a range or tools to help you manage anxiety, boost your mood and sleep better. Click here https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/
Loneliness:
It’s ok to feel lonely, particularly at a time like this. Don’t suffer in silence, we can all help each other stay connected, visit https://letstalkloneliness.co.uk/ for advice and support.
Post or Long Covid - where to get advice
Post-COVID Syndrome or ‘long COVID’ can affect your physical and mental health. There is support available and lots of things you can do to help yourself.
For more information on managing your symptoms visit our NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG webpage: Your COVID recovery - NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG (nottsccg.nhs.uk)
To request this information in another language or format please contact the Engagement Team at: nnccg.team.engagement@nhs.net or call or text 07385 360071. If texting or leaving a message please provide your contact details and a member of the team will get back to you.
Please share this link widely with your communities and networks.
Kind Regards,
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Communications and Engagement Team
_________________________________________________________________
Vulnerable groups and Volunteers - click below for help and information: Poster - Help and Volunteering
Help for Carers
Please click on below help for information available to you:
Carers Poster
Access to virtual support:
Germ Defence
We are letting you know about a very useful website called Germ Defence which was created by a team of doctors and scientists to give you advice that has been proven to reduce the spread of viruses in the home. It can help you plan how to protect yourself and members of your family from infection by COVID-19 and ‘flu.
It’s easy to use and only takes 10 minutes - just click on this link:
www.germdefence.org/index.html?src=C84051
(If this link does not open when you click on it, please copy and paste it into your web browser.)
Please pass details of the Germ Defence website to your friends and family.
There’s a button at the bottom of the Germ Defence website for sharing by social media.
If you’d like to know more:
Over 20,000 people previously took part in research about Germ Defence
People who followed the advice in Germ Defence had fewer and less severe illnesses - and so did the people they lived with
Results of the study were published in The Lancet medical journal
Defence has been updated with COVID-19 advice to help prevent a wave of COVID-19 and ‘flu this Autumn/Winter
Information about how the Germ Defence website is being evaluated is available here.
Covid-19 Research:
NEON Trial - Mental Health
Neon Trial
Shielding Letters- Frequently Asked Questions
We are currently getting a considerable amount of queries regarding the clinical risk letters which were sent out to patients. this link gives some answers to the some frequently asked questions Patient FAQ's
Isolation Notes
If you require an isolation note please click on this link https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note/
Asthmatics
We have been made aware of some posts on social media saying that if you have a respiratory/lung condition, your GP will issue a rescue pack of steroids and antibiotics.
For people with asthma, it is not recommended as standard management. If someone's asthma is bad enough to consider steroids they should be assessed by a health care professional.
Further information can be found on https://www.asthma.org.uk/
Rescue packs may be part of the agreed management plan for some people with COPD. If you NORMALLY have a rescue pack to treat your lung condition its a good idea to check that you have one.
Please bear with us, your help and understanding is appreciated.
ORDERING AND COLLECTION OF PRESCRIPTIONS
Due to the current Coronavirus pandemic Orchard Medical Practice will be introducing a system called Electronic Repeat Dispensing for some patients. This process will allow you to order your repeat medication via your regular pharmacy, rather than through the practice. For more information on Electronic Repeat Dispensing please visit this link - https://psnc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/eRepeat-Dispensing-leaflet.pdf
To keep patients to a minimum coming down to the practice to order and collect prescriptions please sign up to a pharmacy of your choice so we can send your prescription directly to that pharmacy, they can also order your prescription too. This would be really helpful to you, the practice and the public.
Complete our latest Survey Oct 2020 Click here
Try the new NHS App
If you’re a patient at our practice you can now use the new NHS App, a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet.
You can use the NHS App to check your symptoms and get instant advice, book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, view your GP medical record and more.
If you already use Systmonline you can continue to use it. You can use the NHS App as well.
For more information go to www.nhs.uk/nhsapp'
And in other news at the practice ……….
Our new GP Registrars (Doctors in training to be GPs) this quarter are:
Dr Fatima Asif (female)
Dr Grace Blower (female)
Dr Hanan Sheikh (female)
CQC Report