Important information for patients registered at Essex Way Surgery.

If you need to see a Doctor for an urgent need, you will be given a telephone consultation slot in the first instance followed by a face to face appointment if necessary.

All pre-booked appointments with the Doctor will now be a telephone consultation followed by a face to face appointment if necessary.

If your appointment is not of significant importance please cancel them preferably by email (essexway.surgery@nhs.net) or by calling the Practice on 01268 792000 after 9am Monday-Friday.

We have made this decision in line with advice sought from NHS England but will continue to provide the best possible care to you all.

We will accept repeat prescriptions preferably by  online services or email (essexway.surgery@nhs.net) / phone for the moment, but please ensure you have the correct medication name and dosage.

Thank you

Practice Manager

22nd June 2020

 WHAT YOUR PRACTICE TEAM IS DOING TO KEEP YOU SAFE AND COMFORTABLE WHILE LOOKING AFTER TOUR HEALTH NEEDS

PATIENT EXPERIENCE  POSTER 

Coronavirus

If you have reason to believe that you may have Coronavirus -cough, fever, runny nose, body aches, shortness of breath,a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia),  please DO NOT VISIT THE PRACTICE as we need to protect staff and other patients.  STAY INDOORS and call NHS 111 or go online to the 111 service who will offer advice.  For further information on how Coronavirus spreads see 'Latest News'

PLEASE SEE BELOW CURRENT ADVICE FROM PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND (PHE)

Symptoms

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 taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness. However, if you have any of the symptoms above you must stay at home and arrange to have a test to see if you have COVID-19 – go to testing to arrange.

What do we mean by possible or confirmed coronavirus infection (COVID-19)?

• Possible infection is where a person has coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms and is currently awaiting a test result.
• Confirmed infection is where a person has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).

Main messages

If you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), however mild, OR you have received a positive coronavirus (COVID-19) test result, the clear medical advice is to immediately self-isolate at home for at least 7 days from when your symptoms started. Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. You should arrange to have a test to see if you have COVID-19 – go to testing to arrange.

Consider alerting the people that you have had close contact within the last 48 hours to let them know you have symptoms of coronavirus COVID-19.

Following a positive test result, you will receive a request by text, email or phone to log into the NHS Test and Trace service website and provide information about recent close contacts

After 7 days, or longer, if you still have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell/taste, you must continue to self-isolate until you feel better.

You do not need to self-isolate if you only have a cough or loss of sense of smell/taste after 7 days, as these symptoms can last for several weeks after the infection has gone. See the ending isolation section below for more information.

If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), then you must stay at home for at least 7 days. All other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the household became ill. See the explanatory diagram.

Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection that people in your household could pass on to others in the community.

If anyone else in the household starts displaying symptoms, they must stay at home for at least 7 days from when their symptoms appeared, regardless of what day they are on in their original 14-day isolation period. The ending isolation section below has more information, and see the explanatory diagram.

If you have symptoms, you should stay as far away from other members of your household as possible. It is especially important to stay away from anyone who is clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable with whom you continue to share a household.

Reduce the spread of infection in your home by washing your hands regularly for 20 seconds using soap and water, or use hand sanitiser, and cover coughs and sneezes.

If you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, or your condition gets worse, or your symptoms do not get better after 7 days, then use the NHS 111 online coronavirus (COVID-19) service. If you do not have internet access, call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.

If you develop new coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms at any point after ending your first period of isolation (self or household) then you must follow the same guidance on self-isolation again. The section below (After ending self-isolation and/or household-isolation) has further information.

Stay At Home advice  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-advice/ 

Everyone is being reminded to follow Public Health England advice to:

•           Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel.

•           Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.

•           Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

•           Avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

More information can be found on the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Essex Way Surgery

Essex Way Surgery is conveniently situated in South Benfleet on a major bus route and close to Benfleet rail station.

Our practice location is shown on the Contact Details page.

We have no car parking on the premises but have the station and short stay car parks close by. Please note that short stay car  parking is now available in the School Lane car park. Parking is permitted in nearby streets excluding the hours between 2 and 3 pm.

The surgery provides disabled access with a ramp and assisted opening doors. We also have toilet facilities suitable for people with physical impairment. There is a portable induction loop for those with hearing impairment.

Patient Notice

The Practice holds medical records confidentially and primarily for the provision of direct patient care.  For more information please select No:11 on the right hand side (Care Data).

Please note you are now able to book routine appointments with a GP or Nurse on Saturday and Sunday. Please look under the opening hours section for more details.

WE DO NOT DISCRIMATE

All patients registered with Essex Way Surgery have been allocated a named GP

Practice Privacy Notice

Dementia Awareness

Download our leaflet on Dementia Community Support.