News

Covid -19 Infection - Patient Discharge from A&E or GP Information

Click on the link below to download the leaflet:

Patient Testing - Covid

There are mobile testing centres run on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care for people who have coronavirus-like symptoms to test if they currently have the virus. Everyone over the age of five with symptoms may apply. The test can be booked online at the following address. If there is no access to the internet you can ring 119.Testing is by appointment only.

TALKWORKS (previously known as Depression and Anxiety Service)

Is the way that you are feeling affecting your daily life? Are you struggling to cope, feeling low, anxious or overwhelmed by your thoughts and feelings? Are you living with a long-term health condition that is making you feel tired, frustrated and worried? You are not alone and we can help.

We are a free, confidential, NHS talking therapy service (previously the Depression and Anxiety Service), helping you to feel better and giving you the tools and techniques to improve your mental and physical wellbeing.

You can self-refer direct to TALKWORKS:

Call 0300 555 3344 or complete the online form on our website

Click here to watch our film to see how TALKWORKS can help you. 

More information can be found at www.TALKWORKS.dpt.nhs.uk

Moretonhampstead Patient Participation Group

Join our PPG and make a difference to health provision within our local community

Moretonhampstead Patient Participation Group (PPG)  

A PPG brings together patients, GPs and staff from a GP practice. The group meets regularly to discuss issues relating to their surgery and the services provided to patients. The beauty of a PPG is that there is no set way in which they work – the aims and work of each PPG depends entirely on local needs BUT every PPG has the common underlying aim of making sure that their practice puts the patient and improving health at the heart of everything it does.

Moretonhampstead Health Centre once again would like to try and form a PPG to create a connection between the practice and its patients, looking for open and constructive discussion and analysis of our service and facilities provision, being open to alternative perspectives on many of the topics affecting Primary Care currently. We continue to strive to make a difference to our local community and would love to hear from anyone who would like to help make a difference too.

We advertised last year for members but sadly no one came forward. Please do get in contact with the Practice Manager Alex Austin if you would like more information. We would look to meet once a month – what might we be discussing?? Reduction of social isolation, improvement on poor fitness, children and healthy lifestyles, a carers support network, the community allotment project, green prescribing in the locality, younger peoples mental health ……………. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DISCUSS?

Please call Alex on 01647 440591 or email your interest to moretonhampsteadhealthcentre@nhs.net.

Thank you.

Alex

Vaccine Update

Dear Patient,

At the beginning of December, along with three other local GP surgeries we began to deliver the Covid-19 vaccination to our patients. With only one weeks’ notice and rapidly developing guidance, a huge amount of work was required to get this service live. It was an effort that required every member of our team to pull together along with teams from the North Devon PCN.

We are very grateful to Okehampton Medical Centre for supporting us by providing a site from which our 4 GP practices could deliver the campaign, whilst enabling us to continue operating our usual services in practice. Across the three days we were able to provide the vaccine to over 975 individuals from the North Dartmoor PCN. Whilst we are delighted to have got the ball rolling this is just the start. We are also grateful to all those who have volunteered thus far to provide transport to those patients who have needed this assistance. Without you, they would not have received their vaccine!

The scale of the campaign is like nothing we have previously experienced. It has taken many hours of planning and re-planning according to the ever changing guidance. We would like to thank all of our staff who have worked evenings and weekends to ensure that we were able to set up our services and for those volunteers who have already stepped up to help with the running of our Covid-19 vaccination programme.

 As a result of this the vaccination programme will last for many months. It is inevitable that along with the ongoing impact of staff self-isolation, this additional workload will cause some disruption to our usual day to day services, both clinical and administrative. Whilst we will do everything we can to mitigate this we ask that you bear with us over the coming weeks and months.

Moving forward we will be contacting patients as and when we are able to offer them the vaccine. The timelines will depend on eligibility, clinical capacity and access to the vaccine. Below is the current priority list, identified by the government, which we will be following. Please do not contact the surgery to request a vaccination or query when you will become eligible.   

1 - Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers

2 - All those aged 80 and over, as well as frontline health and social care workers

3 - All those aged 75 and over

4 - All those aged 70 and over, as well as clinically extremely vulnerable individuals

5 - All those aged 65 and over

6 - All individuals aged 16-64 with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality

7 - All those aged 60 and over

8 - All those aged 55 and over

9 - All those aged 50 and over

If you are interested in getting an idea as to when you may become eligible then the following calculator can give a rough indication:

Vaccine Queue Calculator for the UK (omnicalculator.com)

We wish all our patients a safer and happier New Year and all the best for 2021.

Alex Austin

Practice Manager