Dear Patient

I hope this message finds you well. I know that some of you have spent time away from work and family; some of you have been shielding to protect yourself, loved ones and greater society; some of you have been required to work harder than ever; everyone has made some form of sacrifice during the pandemic.

I would like to take the opportunity to give you an update on what is happening at Reeth Medical Centre since the pandemic began in March.

• At the onset of the pandemic, we completely reorganised the way the practice functioned within a matter of days in order to protect our patients and staff and enable us to continue to provide care to all those who needed it. We remained flexible to adapt to the guidance provided by the NHS, Public Health England and the government, which changed frequently as understanding of the coronavirus developed.
• The government mandated that we clinically triage all patients before offering any appointments at the surgery. This was a stark contrast to the open access, walk in clinic we offered previously. Staff and patients adapted well to the change and we are now able to offer more email, video and telephone consultations than before.
• Our clinical staff now wear full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), protecting patients from respiratory exposure.

At the moment we continue to work hard to give you the care you need but life is not back to normal for healthcare. In my opinion, the coronavirus is unlikely to go away. It is more likely that we will face a scenario where we have to learn to live alongside the virus. If our immune response to COVID-19 is similar to that of other coronavirus infections, any immunity we generate is likely to be short-lived, meaning we are at risk from repeat infections. This also means that vaccination is likely to be challenging and may mean regular, repeat vaccination assuming a vaccine can be developed.

For us, this means that we will:

• Continue to clinically triage patients by telephone first; we will still see patients face to face where needed but appointments and home visits are limited due to the extra time required to change PPE and decontaminate rooms and vehicles between patients.
• Ask that patients use their online accounts with the practice for routine questions to the doctor, nurse or reception and for ordering their medicines as this helps us to keep the telephone lines free for triaging patients.
• Ask patients to wear a face covering when they come into the practice.
• Request that you attend just in time for your appointment so that you are not waiting for any length of time inside the building, and when waiting, used the zoned areas in the waiting room.
• Ask visitors to the area to contact their own GP practice for advice first, as prescriptions can be arranged with local pharmacies and consultations can be done via video, reducing the pressure on local services.

I would like to thank you for your continued support and encouragement at this difficult time. Your patience, kind words and understanding have made all the difference to me and the staff at the medical centre.

With all best wishes

Mike Brookes