By the team at Mid Sussex Health Care
Thank you very much to our patients for their support and understanding during this time as we are making daily changes to our operational procedures.
Our Patient Participation Group will be posting messages on the local Facebook pages with changes and updates. We are very aware that these messages and information reach a large percentage of our patient population using digital media. We are therefore using this facility to inform those patients who do not have access to electronic versions of the information.
In light of the ongoing situation relating to COVID-19, we wanted to let you know about the steps we are taking to ensure we can continue to support all of our patients during this time.
Firstly and most importantly, we respectfully request that all patients refrain from attending the practice unless asked to do so by a clinician. We are trying to reduce any footfall within the practice for the safety and wellbeing of our vulnerable patients who may need to be called in.
• We have on the advice of NHS England and our CCG suspended all appointment booking via on-line service for the forseeable future.
• Put any paper prescription request in the boxes outside the surgeries. Please, do not bring them into reception.
• Please telephone to make your appointments, do not come in the surgeries to book these.
• We would request that you download and register with the NHS apps. This will enable you to order your prescriptions electronically and avoid the need to come in to the practice. In addition, you will find that this is a quicker and safer method of requesting your medication and provides us with an audit trail to ensure at such a busy time, your request can be tracked from your original request through to completion and collection at the pharmacy.
• Please note we will be sending all completed prescription requests electronically to our local pharmacies. Should you prefer an alternative to our local pharmacy, please make us aware.
• All GP appointments will now be booked as telephone consultations for triage, should the GP then need to see you they will organise this with you during their call. This may not be at your usual branch or with your usual GP.
• Our nurses will be continuing to see some patients either face to face or via telephone calls. However, for our team to ensure we provide the appropriate appointment and clinician for you, they will ask you to provide a brief reason for your appointment request.
• We are currently receiving in excess of a thousand phone calls a day, which is putting increased demand on a reduced workforce. We therefore, respectfully ask that any queries or concerns you have regarding COVID-19 are first directed towards NHS 111 online service (https://111.nhs.uk). If you think you have symptoms and for general information and advice NHS England website (www.england.nhs.uk) prior to contacting the practice.
• If you have symptoms of a Urinary Tract Infection (burning or stinging, urgent desire to pass water or going more often), often called a UTI or Cystitis, we will arrange a telephone assessment for you. Please do not bring in a urine sample for testing.
Important Information regarding practice essential operational changes to how we are working including access to our Ditchling and Hassocks sites.
The safety of our patients and our staff is paramount to Mid Sussex Health Care. We are continuing to try to reduce the non-essential reasons for anyone physically visiting the practice. All clinically essential work will continue but ALL patients will be remotely triaged to assess whether a face-to-face appointment is clinically necessary or whether follow up care and advice can be given using remote consultation or onward referral to hospital, community provider or a visit is required.
Any patient that the GPs feel need to be seen will be directed either to Hurstpierpoint or Hassocks.
Hurstpierpoint: For the safety of those patients that need to be seen after telephone triage, by either the nurses or a GP, and have been identified as nil or very low risk, Hurstpierpoint has been identified as the most suitable location to use, due to its size and room availability to house the staff team that are required to provide this service.
Hassocks: To support our colleagues elsewhere in the NHS and ease pressure on services such as NHS111 and A&E, we will be seeing patients that have been telephone triaged by a GP and need to be seen at our practice. Where there is any doubt that a patient may have an infection of any sort they will be asked to attend the Hassocks site where the GP will be wearing protective clothing. Additional cleaning will take place to ensure the highest infection control procedures are followed. Unless you have been specifically asked by a GP to attend Hassocks please DO NOT attend the site for any other reason.
Ditchling: closed until further notice.
The COVID-19 situation is evolving rapidly and up to date information can be found on the NHS website: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19
Our focus remains the well-being of our patients, our employees and supporting the wider community and to enable us to do this, the priority will be to protect our services for vulnerable patients and those who are most in need and so we ask that you only call us if absolutely necessary.
Finally, we want to thank you again for your cooperation understanding and patience during these uncertain times.