If you are acutely unwell with Covid-19 symptoms, please contact the practice otherwise:

• If you have been asked to take a Covid test or have Covid symptoms, you can book a test on the government website. If you cannot get a test in time online, call 119 or email scas.covid19testingcomplaints@nhs.net

• If you have queries about isolation requirements, please check the NHS information available online

• An NHS 111 online symptom checker is available which will advise you on any action needed - please use this instead of calling 111 where possible as they are experiencing very high call volumes

• If you have been told to self-isolate because of coronavirus you can get an isolation note online to give to your employer if requested

• See the NHS Covid Recovery website for information to support people who have had Covid-19, or their family members, through the recovery period - includes information from rehabilitation experts

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, appointments may be booked either in person or by telephone. All online booking of appointments has been temporarily suspended.  To avoid unnecessary contact, please use telephone in the first instance

• We are now asking patients aged 8 years and above to wear a face covering when attending the practice - please read below for further information

• Face-to-face appointments are available to ALL patients, but you may be asked to discuss your conditions over the phone or online first to assess what would be most appropriate for you. This is to limit face-face contact where possible and stop the spread of coronavirus

• GP telephone appointments are available to book up to 1 week in advance. We aim to manage as many problems as possible by phone. However, if a clinician feels that a face-to-face appointment is important and necessary, a face-to-face appointment will be arranged by the clinician at the time of the telephone consultation.

• Nurse appointments are available to book up to 3 weeks in advance

• Please consider using community pharmacies and advice from www.nhs.uk to reduce demand on appointments

Fireclay Health, as part of its ‘Covid Secure’ assessment, requires all patients to wear face coverings when attending the surgery, as it may be difficult to maintain effective social distancing separation within the surgery and pharmacy premises.  Face coverings can be home made, a scarf or other improvised covering.

In order to protect other patients and staff at the surgery, we are asking that all patients and visitors to the surgery wear a face covering. If you attend the surgery for a non-urgent problem, you may not be able to be seen at the time of your appointment unless you are wearing an appropriate face covering. If your problem is considered urgent and you do not have your own face covering, you may be required to wear a cloth face covering supplied by the surgery before being seen.

We ask for the patient and only one essential carer or family member to attend the surgery wherever possible.  If the carer or the single family member accompanies the patient into the surgery or the pharmacy premises, then we ask that both of you wear face coverings.

The exception to this would be if wearing a face covering might cause significant distress to the patient, or if they are a child under the age of 8 years.

For more information on face masks see the Keep Safe website - this includes mask exemption cards you can print yourself if required and a link to How to make a cloth mask. You can also read UK guidance on the evidence for wearing face masks.

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