COVID 19 Appointment Booking Protocol – updated November 2020

It has been necessary for all Practices to make fluid changes in a short period of time due to the Coronavirus pandemic. With this in mind, we have adapted out appointment system and ways of working to promote the safety of all our patients and staff for the foreseeable future.

All GP and Nurse Practitioner appointment requests are booked as a telephone triage appointment in the first instance and will be available to book on the day only. Patients will be called by the most appropriate clinician for their concerns and not by a specific clinician.  Any patient who has been offered a face to face appointment following a clinical assessment, will be asked to wait in their car until the time of their appointment. Please see below for more information **. All patients will be subject to a temperature check before they enter the building for their appointment. If any patient has a temperature, they will be asked to leave and call again once any symptoms have passed. At no time will any patient be allowed to walk into the surgery without an appointment.

All patients are advised they cannot be escorted into surgery by someone who has the symptoms of COVID 19, this includes parents bringing children/babies to surgery.  Only one member of the family will be allowed in to accompany the patient for their appointment, who will also be subject to a temperature check at the door.

Whilst we are continuing to work in accordance with latest guidelines, we are slowly reintroducing pre-bookable appointments with the Practice Nurses and the Health Care Assistants.

**For all face to face appointments, patients will be able to wait inside the surgery in the waiting room area. With our current robust infection prevention control measures in place, patients will only be able to enter the building at the time of their appointment and will not be able to gain entry beforehand. On arrival, patients will be asked to ring the doorbell to alert the duty receptionist. We kindly ask all our patients to respect our current operational procedures in order to assist us in reducing the spread of Covid-19.

For patients attending the surgery for their flu vaccine, we kindly ask that patients continue to wait at the rear of the surgery where you will be called in by our clinician, unless patients have been advised otherwise.

All GP Partners, Salaried GP’s and Nurse Practitioners will perform the clinical consultations. All on the day requests to ’see’ a clinician will be subjected to a telephone COVID 19 screening.

To reduce the spread of the Coronavirus amongst our patients and staff, and in line with our strict infection control measures, all asymptomatic patients for Covid 19 will be seen at Marston surgery. Any symptomatic patients for Covid 19, and for any aerosol related procedures, ie child flu vaccinations, patients will be seen at Cranfield Surgery.

Nurse and HCA Appointments

ECG’s

Only urgent ECG’s will be requested by the GPs and are to be booked in by them in to the appropriate zone same day, or pre-booked when appropriate.

INR and Urgent Blood Tests

To be booked in on the day and patients will be COVID 19 screened by Telephone Triage prior to their appointment, or pre-booked when appropriate.

Zoladex – Shielding Group

Patients needing Zoladex over 70 will be offered the Zoladex injection at home, and patients will be COVID 19 screened by Telephone Triage prior to their appointment. These are now available to pre-book with a Practice Nurse in the surgery.

Physiotherapist

Virtual Physiotherapy sessions will recommence on Monday 27 July 2020. These appointments are bookable in advance by calling the surgery on 01234 766551. Appointment times will be from 13:30-16:00. Patients can also be referred to Circle MSK by the GP or by self-referral. For patients who would like to self –refer can do so by visiting www.circlehealth.co.uk/phio.

B12

All B12 injections are to be booked on the day when required or pre-booked when appropriate, with a Practice Nurse or Health Care Assistant. Patients will be COVID 19 screened by Telephone Triage prior to their appointment.

Cervical Screening

All cervical screening can be booked at the surgery on the day or in advance. Patients will be COVID 19 screened by Telephone Triage prior to their appointment.

Routine Recall PSA Bloods

Postponed until further notice.

Contraception

All patients will be required to submit a recent weight and blood pressure reading before a repeat prescription can be issued. Details can be given over the phone or submitted online.

Home Visits

All home visit requests will be subjected to the COVID 19 screening and a telephone consultation, including residential/nursing care homes. All requests will be managed remotely unless physical examination is required to protect vulnerable people. All requests for home visits must be made before 10am

Nebulising

Any patients with respiratory symptoms will not to be nebulised. All patients will be telephoned triaged and clinically assessed as appropriate. For any life threatening conditions, patients are asked to call 999 or NHS 111 for further advice.

Rescue Packs

We have been made aware of some inaccurate information circulating regarding special ‘rescue packs’ for patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). You will note that there is no recommendation to have a rescue pack as there is no evidence for their use and indeed there are concerns steroid will reduce your immunity to fight off this virus.

Patients are asked not to contact the GP practice for a rescue pack.  Patients should continue to manage their condition in the usual way and if they feel they have symptoms of COVID-19, patients can obtain further information via this link, www.111.nhs.uk/covid-19 before doing anything else, or further helpful information can be found at the British Lung Foundation, www.blf.org.uk/people-living-with-lung-condition.

Postnatal checks and baby 1st imms

Mum and baby checks to be booked in on the same day, or pre-booked when appropriate, to have their postnatal checks at 8 weeks. COVID 19 screening will be carried out on the day to be seen. Mum will be offered a 15 minute telephone appointment with a GP and a face to face 15 minute 1st imms appointment for the baby. Only mum and baby to attend the appointment. No car seat or pram to be brought into the surgery.

Wound care

All dressings are to be booked on the day dressing, or pre-booked when appropriate, when required with a Practice Nurse. Patients will be COVID 19 screened by Telephone Triage prior to their appointment.

Each wound will be accessed for each patient to see if these are able to done at home or for a carer to change dressings.

Stitch Removal

To be booked on the day, or pre-booked when appropriate, stitch removal is required with a Practice Nurse. Patients will be COVID 19 screened by Telephone Triage prior to their appointment.

Long Term Conditions

All patients will be booked in for a telephone review on the day, or pre-booked when appropriate. Any care plans will be posted or sent electronically to patients.

Minor Illness

All patients will be booked in for a Telephone Triage consultation initially with an available clinician. A face to face appointment will be offered should the clinician deem this necessary following their clinical assessment. Patients will be COVID 19 screened by Telephone Triage prior to their appointment.

Paid Medicals/Insurance

We have reintroduced medicals at the surgery. Please call the surgery to book your appointment.

Fit notes

Fit notes can be arranged over the phone with the GP and will be posted or electronically sent patients address on system. Any Covid 19 related fit notes can be obtained from www.111.nhs.uk/isolation-note

Repeat Prescriptions

There is no change to the turnaround of 48 hours for a repeat prescription request. We will still be following the 28 day prescribing guidelines. There will be no post-dated prescriptions during COVID 19 to ensure that there is no stockpiling and sufficient medication for all. There will be no paper repeat prescription requests available at the surgery.

Patients are encouraged to order repeat medication online by visiting the website for further details. Repeat Prescription requests can be made over the phone for housebound patients only. For those patients who call their surgery regarding prescription queries, please follow the registered Practice’s guidelines.

Prescriptions will be sent direct to the nominated chemists in the first instance. Any patient who does not have access to online services to order medication, are encouraged to engage with the help of family and friends to order this for them.

All Staff are required to wear appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) where appropriate and for all face to face consultations.

For other useful information relating to Covid 19, please refer to the websites below:

The most important symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of any of the following:

  • a new continuous cough
  • a high temperature
  • a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of smell or taste (anosmia)

Further information can be found at: www.gov.uk/coronavirus

For useful Mental Health concerns, please refer to the websites:

Websites that have useful advice and mental health tips regarding Coronavirus include:

Mind website https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/#collapse620