Access to Practice during the Pandemic
Appointments
We are working hard to balance the health needs of patients against the risk of coronavirus transmission. To help keep everyone safe this is what you need to know:
- All first contact with a GP must be by phone. Please do not turn up at the practice without an appointment.
- When you first get in contact to make a telephone appointment, you need to tell the staff if you, or someone that you live with, are displaying any coronavirus symptoms. This is the same whether you have had a test or not.
Role of the receptionist
Practice Receptionists, have an important role in supporting you to access the care you need.
The information you give to this team helps the GP, to plan their workload for the day. This means patients in the greatest need are dealt with first.
Reception teams do not make clinical decisions, but they have had training to help patients get to the most appropriate service.
Reception teams are also trained to guide patients through how services are being delivered in their practice or by a suitable healthcare professional. This might now include telephone consultations, a Near Me consultation if the GP feels this is appropriate, or the contact details of a service most appropriate for your needs.
Our reception teams are here to help, please treat them with courtesy.
Mental health services
Services are available that provide free and confidential emotional support. This can assist with stress, anxiety, depression and a wide range of other mental health matters too. This includes issues resulting from the pandemic. These leaflets can be accessed via the nhs inform website.
Telephone support
If you're feeling overwhelmed or need support you can call NHS 24 on 111, 24 hours a day and select the mental health option from the telephone prompts.
You can also contact Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87. They are open weekdays Monday to Thursday, 6.00pm to 2,00am and weekends, Friday from 6.00pm to Monday until 6.00am.
COVID-19 VACCINATION PROGRAMME
Please do not call the surgery if you have a general query regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Instead please look on the NHS Inform Website or use the national helpline 0800 030 8013 which is open from 8am to 8 pm seven days a week.
Vaccine roll out to the general public, based on age and underlying health conditions, will start as soon as possible, and will depend on vaccine supply.
The first group to receive this will be the over 80's. Please avoid calling with any queries about the vaccine or when you will be vaccinated as we are unable to give you any more information at this stage and we need to try to keep the phone lines open for people who are unwell and in need of medical care.
Many thanks for your ongoing patience and cooperation.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) helpline
If you do not have symptoms and are looking for general information, a free helpline has been set up on: 0800 028 2816.
The helpline is open:
- Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 10.00pm
- Saturday and Sunday, 9.00am to 5.00pm
PHARMACY FIRST SCOTLAND
NHS Pharmacy First Scotland (NHS PFS) is a consultation service designed to encourage the public to visit their community pharmacy as the first port of call for all minor illnesses and common clinical conditions. This service will be delivered by every pharmacy in Scotland from Wednesday 29th July 2020.
This is a broad overview of how the service will operate:
A person will consult with a member of the pharmacy team, they will assess their symptoms which will result in one or more of the following outcomes:
- Help the person manage the condition by themselves by discussing appropriate self-care advice.
- Supply an appropriate treatment for the symptoms (either on NHS or over the counter sale (OTC) within over the OTC product licensing; and discuss relevant self-care advice including what to do if symptoms do not improve.
- Refer to another healthcare professional, if appropriate.
Who is eligible?
- Everyone registered with a GP practice in Scotland or the Defence Medical Services on a permanent or temporary basis (including care home residents)
- People who live in Scotland (including gypsy or travellers/asylum seeker or dependant of an asylum seeker)
Visitors to Scotland are excluded.
How do you access NHS Pharmacy First Scotland
People can access this service by attending at a community pharmacy of their choice, usually without an appointment. There is no registration required.
During the current pandemic, physical distancing restrictions will be in place. It may be more appropriate for people to telephone the pharmacy before attending.
Request from the Partners of Springfield
The GP Partners of Springfield Medical Practice are encouraging all patients to use this service and to assist staff signpost patients to the most approrpate service reception staff will now ask patients when they contact the practice to give a short reason as to why they need to speak to a clinician. We have also put this message on our telephone system and patients will hear this as part of the message they hear prior to speaking to a receptionist. All information given to a member of the team is highly confidential and will not be shared with anyone outwith the team, it is requested solely to allow the receptionist to carry out their role and allow her/him to signpost you to the most appropriate healthcare professional.
Messaging Service
We have now introduced text reminders for appointments. We will also be contacting patients who qualify for flu vaccination, annual review appointments etc by text. We would be very grateful if you would ensure that we have your correct mobile phone number. If you do not wish to receive text reminders, please ensure you inform a member of reception and we will mark your records accordingly.
SPIRE - Scottish Primary Care Information Resoure
NHSScotland is improving the way it uses information from GP patient records. SPIRE is a service that will allow small amounts of information from GP practice records to be used to help doctors’ surgeries, NHSScotland and the Scottish Government to improve care and plan services, and to help researchers to learn more from patient information held at GP practices.
A new campaign is underway to inform patients across Scotland of the benefits of the service, and the confidential and secure way in which GP patient records will be used to help plan and improve health care services.
You have a choice about your patient record being used in this way. To find out more go to spire.scot or call NHS Inform on 0800 22 44 88
Hepatitis B Vaccination
Hepatitis Vaccination
Ambulance Transport
Eligibility for Ambulance Transport
Rashes
If you or your child/dependent have symptoms which include a rash which could indicate an infectious disease, please inform reception staff when phoning to make an appointment. We will ask you to sit in reception rather than the waiting room to avoid possibly infecting either pregnant women, or a patient who is receiving chemotherapy and whose immune system is affected by their treatment. We thank you for your co-operation.