There have been reports of issues with our telephone lines – we are in the process of investigating this with our phone supplier as a matter of urgency. The phone lines are working and patients are getting through, we are unaware of why some patients are unable to dial in to us at the moment – it seems to be happening to a minority of calls however this is very frustrating for patients and we are aware of this.
We have our online consultation system in place on our website and patients have been coming into Practice as well as using the NHS App and Patient Online Services. We apologise for this frustration and we hope to have this resolved as soon as possible.
Covid Vaccination Update Oakwood Medical Centre 2021
7th January 2021
Following the announcement concerning the lockdown in England on the 4th January 2021 please remember we are still open and here for you when you need us.
Like many across the country some of our staff will now be shielding, as well as dealing with caring and childcare responsibilities. While we are doing what we can to facilitate flexible and home working as well as reorganising workloads, there will now be extra pressure on the practice to continue to work alongside reduced capacity.
At the same time we are working very hard to roll out the vaccine as quickly and as safely as possible, which obviously has an impact on our manpower in practice.
We are asking you to be patient with us if some things take a little longer than you would normally expect from us, or if we are asking you to do things slightly differently from normal. Please understand we are working as hard as we can to keep everyone safe.
You can still use the online consulting option on our website here: https://www.oakwoodmedicalcentrebarnton.nhs.uk/online-consulting/
You can call us on 01606 544 241 between 8.30-6.00 every weekday, but please have patience if it takes a little longer to get through, especially at peak times.
If you have a query that can wait please feel free to post it in to us, or you can use the online consulting option.
Patients will still be seen in practice after triage, as they have been throughout the pandemic, and we continue to offer support for our most vulnerable patients if clinically necessary via home visits, as well as supporting our care homes.
To help save you time we would ask that any general queries about COVID-19 and fit notes or shielding are directed to the gov.uk website initially.
As always, if you have any queries or concerns please contact Laura Clare on Vrccg.oakwoodmanagers@nhs.net
For more information on our covid vaccination programme please see the practice webpage here: https://www.oakwoodmedicalcentrebarnton.nhs.uk/covid-19-vaccination/
On behalf of the entire practice we want to thank our patients for your support during this difficult time.
Thank you
The Partners, Oakwood Medical Centre
Please see our Practice Update for September / October 2020. Thank you
We need your feedback on your experiences of healthcare during the pandemic. Healthwatch, an independent body, has created a survey for the people of Northwich to add their oppinions of their healthcare during Covid-19. Please follow the link and complete the survey, it should only take 5-10 minutes of your time.
Thank you
Please see the information in the link below for advice on managing your recovery from Covid-19.
If you have concerns please contact the practice.
Local NHS Trust, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP), has launched a new mental health helpline for residents of Cheshire West, Cheshire East and Wirral.
Open 24 hours a day, seven-days a week, it is open to people of all ages including children and young people who need urgent mental health support.
The helpline is part of the NHS Long Term Plan to improve access to mental health support. Originally due to go live next year, it has been fast-tracked to be available to support local people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
What to do if you need urgent mental health help:
Some GP Practices across Northwich will be offering a counselling service over the telephone with Healthbox (please see their website for more information: https://www.healthboxcic.com/services/mental-health-services/adult-counselling/)
To ask about this service please contact your GP surgery either through e-consult or via telephone.
Self-referral may be possible in the near future, please check back for more information.
The local pharmacies are experiencing a huge demand in prescriptions at this time.
They are taking slightly longer to process prescriptions and it can be up to a week from when we issue the prescription to when they have it available.
They are also experiencing issues with staffing and therefore their phone lines are often busy.
Unfortunately we have no direct line to the local pharmacies and therefore cannot process queries on their behalf, nor can we pass messages on to them. Please do not contact us about a pharmacy issue as we will also struggle to contact them.
What can I do?