IMPORTANT NOTICE

West Hoe Surgery and Pandemic Coronavirus

From Tuesday 17^th March 2020 until further notice West Hoe Surgery will be seeing patient by arrangement only.

Please do not attend the surgery unless you have a pre-booked appointment or have been asked to attend.

Please STOP and THINK

If you or someone in your household has a new cough and/or a temperature, please return home and self-isolate for 14 days. Unless you are very unwell, you do not need to let us or 111 know.

If you are becoming more unwell, short of breath or you think you may have been exposed to coronavirus, please check https://111.nhs.uk or call 111 if you do not have internet access.

If you do have to come to the surgery for an appointment, please STOP and wait for reception to greet you at the door.

Have you booked an appointment or been asked to come in? If yes, please wait at the door to be checked in by reception.

If you do not have an appointment please do not come to the surgery, but contact us via www.westhoesurgery.nhs.uk or call us for further advice.

Prescriptions

Patients waiting for prescriptions may collect those already printed, just tell the receptionist and she will bring it to you at the door. Requests for paper prescriptions should now be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope so that we may post them. Please post paper requests through the back door of the surgery. Alternatively, please either use the online prescription service or request prescriptions via email: westhoe.surgery@nhs.net. In any case, please nominate a pharmacy where you will have your prescription sent electronically. Information on prescription services is available on the practice website. Only current quantities of medication will be issued.

Self-Certification during COVID-19

People unable to work for more than seven days because of COVID-19 can obtain an isolation note through a new online service.

Isolation notes will provide employees with evidence for their employers that they have been advised to self-isolate due to COVID-19, either because they have symptoms or they live with someone who has symptoms, and so cannot work.

As isolation notes can be obtained without contacting a doctor, this will reduce the pressure on GP surgeries and prevent people needing to leave their homes.

For the first seven days off work, employees can self-certify so they don’t need any evidence for their employer. After that, employers may ask for evidence of sickness absence. Where this is related to having symptoms of COVID-19 or living with someone who has symptoms, the isolation note can be used to provide evidence of the advice to self-isolate.

People who need to claim Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance because of COVID-19 will not be required to produce a fit note or an isolation note.

The notes can be accessed online at https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note. After answering a few questions, an isolation note will be emailed to the user. If they don’t have an email address, they can have the note sent to a trusted family member or friend, or directly to their employer. The service can also be used to generate an isolation note on behalf of someone else.

The isolation note service can be accessed via the 111 online COVID-19 service or NHS.UK/coronavirus as well as via the NHS app.

In the event that the online 111 service is unavailable or does not work we have a self-certification form, if you require one, for your employer during this time. It can be found under the ‘Reception’ tab, MED3 Fit Notes section.

Lastly, don’t forget to check elderly and vulnerable friends, family and neighbours are OK and have what they need. Thank you to all for your help at this time.

If you are feeling low, anxious or feel you need help with your mental health please see the link below for details of places where you can seek help and advice:

Mental Health Help Available

We will be operating from our new premises from Monday 30th March. Our phone number will not change.

2 Pier Street

West Hoe

Plymouth

PL1 3BS

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The Doctors and staff at West Hoe Surgery in Plymouth are proud to offer the highest standard of patient-centered healthcare. We run many clinics for the management of chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes and offer a wide variety of other medical services including antenatal and postnatal care, minor surgery, childhood vaccinations and well-person check-ups.

In addition to everything you need to know about the Practice you will also find a wealth of health-related information in the menu on the right hand side. Please have a look around and do send us some feedback if you like.