The Surgery

01747 840226

Dispensary

01747 840950

THE SURGERY IS OPEN -COVID19 – UPDATES Amended 14.09.2021

Silton Surgery is open.  If you need to see a GP phone Reception on 01747 840226.  You will be booked for telephone triage.  A clinician will ring you and if an examination is required you will be instructed to either attend the surgery or be seen at Mere Surgery if it is likely you have COVID19.

Influenza Vaccinations:

We are expecting our first delivery of flu vaccinations soon.  We will be holding short ‘appointment only’ flu clinics in the lobby.  NO ‘WALK IN’ FLU CLINICS THIS YEAR.

When attending the surgery for a flu vaccination:

  1. Please do not arrive too early for your appointment

  2. Wear short sleeves

  3. No unnecessary items should be brought in to the surgery with you

  4. Use the toilet at home before attending the surgery

  5. Wear a face covering or mask

  6. Wait outside by the front door (there will be clear signage to show where to wait)

  7. Keep 2 metres away from any other patients waiting

Practice Nurse appointments are being done as normal, Bloods, Dressings, Diabetic Reviews, Blood Pressure, Cervical Smears, ECG’s, ear syringing and spirometry appointments.  Asthma reviews are being done slightly differently.  You will need to take your peak flow meter readings at home for a week.  We can prescribe a peak flow meter (if you pay for NHS prescriptions this will incur a charge of £9.35) and give you a diary sheet.  Return the diary sheet to us and book a telephone appointment with Jess one of our practice nurses who will discuss the meter readings with you.

If you are entering the premises you will be required to wear a face mask/covering.  All clinical staff will see you whilst donning full PPE (Personal Protection Equipment).  This is to protect both them and you.  If you are a vulnerable patient you can call the surgery as above or NHS111.

The dispensary is operating as normal.

Our object is to reduce to a minimum the foot fall at the surgery.  This will help to keep our patients and staff as safe as we can.  If you do not need to attend the surgery please do not.

Changes to online booking: To mitigate any risk that potentially infected patients book apointments online and attend the practice when they should be receiving advice to self-isolate or go through testing, all practices are now being advised to change face-to-face appointments booked online to triage appointments via telephone or video. You can read more on NHS England website: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/

NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need medical help and advise you what to do.

Use this service if:

  • • you think you might have coronavirus

  • • in the last 14 days you’ve been to a country or area with a high risk of coronavirus

  • • you’ve been in close contact with someone with coronavirus.

  • Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Call 111 if you need to speak to someone.

    Everyone is being reminded to follow the public health advice on the NHS website to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus.

Preventing spread of infection

There are general principles you can follow to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

  • wash your hands often – with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. This is particularly important after taking public transport

  • avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands

  • avoid close contact with people who are sick

  • if you feel unwell, stay at home, do not attend work or school

  • cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin. See Catch it, Bin it, Kill it

  • clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home and work environment

  • if you are worried about your symptoms, please call NHS 111. Do not go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment

  • see further information and the Public Health England Blog

At this challenging time, it is extremely important for you to know that COVID-19 is unlikely to make your child unwell, but they like everyone else might be infectious so staying at home when well remains the message.  However, all the ‘normal’ illnesses that can make children severely unwell still remain and there is a major risk that parents may delay bringing their child to the attention of a healthcare professional even if they are unwell because of concerns about COVID-19.  GP’s and hospitals are still providing the same safe care that they have always done for children.  If you are not sure if your child is unwell and whether they need to be seen, click on this link https://www.what0-18.nhs.uk/national

Or Call 111 or contact the Surgery.

It is really important for all healthcare professionals and parents to appreciate the COVID19 is extremely unlikely to cause severe illness in a child, most children exhibit very few or no symptoms when infected with SARS-COV2 so one cannot assume that an unwell child or a child with a fever >5days has COVID19 and an alternative diagnosis must be considered.

It is essential that this message gets to parents/carers/guardians so that if they have an unwell child they must seek healthcare support.

Parents can click on the link below for more information:

https://what0-18.nhs.uk/professionals/gp-primary-care-staff/safety-netting-documents-parents

If your child is unwell please contact the surgery on 01747 840226 and a clinician can speak to you.  If the surgery is closed ring NHS111.