Staithes Surgery
Seaton Crescent, Staithes, Saltburn-by-the-sea, Cleveland, TS13 5AY
Important information about the coronavirus (COVID-19)
We are currently suspending the booking of online appointments to support the NHS policy of reducing the spread of coronavirus. You are required to telephone the surgery for an appointment. The receptionist will take your details, the reason for the appointment and whether you have a persistent cough and/or a fever. You will then be contacted by a GP during the day to assess your requirements. Please be assured that your clinical needs will be met, we will not refuse to see patients who will require a face to face assessment.
The NHS in England and Public Health England (PHE) are well prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases. The NHS has put in place measures to protect patients, our community and NHS staff while ensuring as many services as possible are available to the public.
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of a new continuous cough and/or high temperature (37.8 degrees centigrade or higher). If you have these symptoms, however mild, stay at home, do not book an appointment with your GP and do not leave your house or let visitors in for 7 days from when your symptoms started. Any other individuals in the household should also self-isolate for 14 days from that moment as well. If other members of your household develop symptoms, however mild, at any time during the 14 days, they must not leave the home for 7 days from when symptoms started.
If your symptoms worsen during home isolation use NHS 111 online at https://111.nhs.uk. If you have no internet access, you should call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.
For the latest COVID-19 advice please visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus
Like the common cold, coronavirus infection usually occurs through close contact with a person with novel coronavirus via cough and sneezes or hand contact.
A person can also catch the virus by touching contaminated surfaces if they do not wash their hands.
Testing of suspected coronavirus cases is carried out in line with strict guidelines. This means that suspected cases are kept in isolation, away from public areas of GP surgeries, pharmacies and hospitals and returned home also in isolation. Any equipment that come into contact with suspected cases are thoroughly cleaned as appropriate. Specific guidance has also been shared with NHS staff to help safeguard them and others. Patients can be reassured that their safety is a top priority, and are encouraged to attend all appointments as usual.
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.
ROUTINE REFERRALS
GP practices have been instructed not to send routine referrals to secondary care.
This includes:
• Non-urgent endoscopies which are now suspended.
• Non urgent imaging/diagnostics are also suspended.
• Referrals to the chronic pain service.
• Non-urgent referrals to MSK and direct access physiotherapy.
GPs will advise patients to continue to manage with advice given by primary care and re-present if symptoms persist once pandemic is over so an onward referral can be reconsidered. Patients will also be advised that should symptoms significantly deteriorate to contact their GP and case will be reviewed and advice then sort from secondary care.
Neither the hospital nor practices will therefore keep a list of pending referrals it will be down to the patient to re-contact their GP.
WE WOULD LIKE TO ASK ALL PATIENTS TO:
Follow the current government advice on self-isolation and social distancing. Advice is being kept under constant review and you can find the latest guidance at: www.nhs.uk/coronavirus. You DO NOT NEED to contact your GP practice for permission to do this.
Use NHS111 if the first instance if you have COVID-19 symptoms and would like medical advice. Please use NHS111 online if you have access to the internet: https://111.nhs.uk. Phone NHS111 if you do not have online access.
Do not come to any GP practice unless you have been specifically advised to do so after a phone/video consultation with a clinician at the practice.
Latest news
Staithes Surgery is part of the Whitby, Coast and Moors Primary Care Network (PCN). PCNs have been created to help integrate primary care with secondary and community services and provide care at greater scale. In doing this we can develop the services we offer to meet the needs of our local population.
Our new website has links that take you to our main PCN website to avoid duplication of information across each of our local GP practices. The ‘your health’ menu tab will take you to information about all the services in our local area, information about managing conditions and looking after you and your family.
You can find out more about our network by clicking on the ‘our network’ tab in the main menu. To get back to our individual practice site, simply select our practice name from the ‘practice websites’ menu tab.
We welcome your feedback and comments on our new website.
