PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE PRACTICE IF YOU HAVE ANY CORONVIRUS SYMPTOMS OR REQUIRE ANY ADVICE -  ALL INFORMATION CAN BE ACCESSED VIA THE 111 ONLINE LINK -  https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19

The NHS has put in place measures to ensure the safety of patients and staff which may mean your patient experience is subject to change. 

The practice is still open but is currently operating a telephone triage service only seeing patients with immediately neccessary needs.  if you have an appointment you will be required to press the intercom in the front entrance. The receptionist will ask you some questions before you will be allowed to enter the practice.  This is to protect yourselves and also our practice staff - anybody who does not have a scheduled appointment will be refused entrance.

REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS will no longer be taken in paper form - please see further advice on the Repeat Prescriptions section

ISOLATION NOTES can be obtained without contacting a doctor. The isolation note service can be accessed via the 111 online coronavirus service or NHS UK/coronavirus as well as via the NHS app

Thank you for bearing with us at this most difficult time but all the staff at Zetland Medical Practice are working hard to ensure that patients will receive their medication and have any immediately neccessary needs met.

We have been made aware of some inaccurate information circulating (especially on social media) regarding special 'rescure packs' of antibiotics and oral steroids for patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( or even for those who don't have these conditions)

Oral steroids are powerful medicines and any decision to use them would need careful evaluation by a prescriber, usually a doctor, nurse practitioner or a respiratory specialist nurse.

There is no guidance in place that recommends a rescue pack being prescribed.

You should continue to manage your condition in the usual way - information may be found in the links below 

https://www.blf.org.uk/

https://www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/coronavirus-covid-19 

Local Authorities have set up community support hubs to coordinate support responses to vulnerable patients at greater risk from the Covid-19 virus.  Their role is to provide support to people who might not have support from friends or family members in the following key areas:

• Information and advice
• Emotional support
• Delivery of shopping / newspapers / prescriptions

Covid-19 and your information - Updated on 8th April 2020 

This notice describes how we may use your information to protect you and others during the Covid-19 outbreak. It supplements our main Privacy Notice which is available [Privacy Notice].

The health and social care system is facing significant pressures due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Health and care information is essential to deliver care to individuals, to support health and social care services and to protect public health. Information will also be vital in researching, monitoring, tracking and managing the outbreak. In the current emergency it has become even more important to share health and care information across relevant organisations.

Existing law which allows confidential patient information to be used and shared appropriately and lawfully in a public health emergency is being used during this outbreak. Using this law the Secretary of State has required NHS Digital; NHS England and Improvement; Arms Length Bodies (such as Public Health England); local authorities; health organisations and GPs to share confidential patient information to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak. Any information used or shared during the Covid-19 outbreak will be limited to the period of the outbreak unless there is another legal basis to use the data. Further information is available on gov.uk here and some FAQs on this law are available here.

During this period of emergency, opt-outs will not generally apply to the data used to support the Covid-19 outbreak, due to the public interest in sharing information. This includes National Data Opt-outs. However in relation to the Summary Care Record, existing choices will be respected. Where data is used and shared under these laws your right to have personal data erased will also not apply. It may also take us longer to respond to Subject Access requests, Freedom of Information requests and new opt-out requests whilst we focus our efforts on responding to the outbreak.

In order to look after your health and care needs we may share your confidential patient information including health and care records with clinical and non clinical staff in other health and care providers, for example neighbouring GP practices, hospitals and NHS 111. We may also use the details we have to send public health messages to you, either by phone, text or email

During this period of emergency we may offer you a consultation via telephone or video-conferencing. By accepting the invitation and entering the consultation you are consenting to this. Your personal/confidential patient information will be safeguarded in the same way it would with any other consultation.

We will also be required to share personal/confidential patient information with health and care organisations and other bodies engaged in disease surveillance for the purposes of

protecting public health, providing healthcare services to the public and monitoring and

managing the outbreak. Further information about how health and care data is being used and shared by other NHS and social care organisations in a variety of ways to support the Covid-19 response is here.  

NHS England and Improvement and NHSX have developed a single, secure store to gather data from across the health and care system to inform the Covid-19 response. This includes data already collected by NHS England, NHS Improvement, Public Health England and NHS Digital. New data will include 999 call data, data about hospital occupancy and A&E capacity data as well as data provided by patients themselves. All the data held in the platform is subject to strict controls that meet the requirements of data protection legislation.  

In such circumstances where you tell us you’re experiencing Covid-19 symptoms we may need to collect specific health data about you. Where we need to do so, we will not collect more information than we require and we will ensure that any information collected is treated with the appropriate safeguards.

We may amend this privacy notice at any time so please review it frequently. The date at the top of this page will be amended each time this notice is updated.

Who is it for?

The Keeping People Connected project is for adults with learning disability/autism (or those you feel may have a learning disability) living alone with limited or no regular support. 

This project is needed to find those people not well known to local services. These people may be feeling isolated, scared, lack understanding of what is happening and as such not following ‘stay at home’ instructions putting themselves and others at risk of the virus. 

What the project will do

The project will urgently contact people with learning disability/autism who live alone with limited or no regular support to establish:

• Understanding of ‘lockdown’ and what it means for them
• Understanding of the virus, signs and symptoms and what to do if developed.
• Understand immediate personal circumstances e.g. support, food, medication, how to raise alarm for help
• Provide reassurance & personal contact (by phone)
• Provide opportunity to listen/act upon any concerns raised.

People can contact the service directly or anyone who has concerns about someone who they think is eligible can ring the service; please find contact details below.

01642 039000 or Connected@skillsforpeople.org.uk

As social isolation continues during the Coronavirus lockdown, health officials want to encourage people across Teesside to seek help if they are feeling lonely or distressed.

There is a range of support available for people nationally through www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines and www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters.