Issues with Telephone Lines 9th May 2022
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-19 Vaccination Update for All Patients – See News Page
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
Practice Update Sept/Oct 2020
Please see our Practice Update for September / October 2020. Thank you
Your Feedback Needed
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
Covid-19 Recovery Advice
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.
Look after your mental health during the pandemic
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:
- Please call 0300 303 3972 and our dedicated local NHS staff will support you to access the help you need;
The helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is open to people of all ages – including children and young people;
The helpline is now the first port of call for mental health help – it is operated by people in your local area who will know how best to support you. If you call NHS111 you may have to wait longer for help and will be re-directed to this local service – so call 0300 303 3972; - Please note, A&E and 999 are not the best places to get help for the majority of mental health problems – call 0300 303 3972 to be directed to the best local service to support you;
- You should still call 999 or go to A&E if you have an immediate, life-threatening emergency requiring mental or physical health assistance;
- For non-urgent help and general wellbeing advice, the CWP website contains information and links to resources to support people with anxiety, low mood, and worries relating to the current Covid-19 pandemic www.cwp.nhs.uk
For children and young people there is also a dedicated website MyMind.org.uk
How your GP Practice can 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.
Coronavirus & Pharmacies
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?
- Please ensure you do not ‘panic’ order your medication – only order what you need when you need it.
- You can order up to 10 days early but no more – this is to reduce the demand on the pharmacies as well as the GPs.
- Ensure you have signed up for Electronic Prescribing and Online Ordering so that you can keep a track of your prescription yourself. Most pharmacies are offering a text service or e-mail service where they will contact you when it is ready.
- Please do not request a delivery service if you do not normally use one. The current guidance is still that you can move outside your home for medical needs, including collecting prescriptions. If you are struggling to do this please ask a neighbour, friend or a local volunteer group to collect on your behalf.
- Please do not ask the surgery to take your request over the phone as guidelines are still to order online where you can, and our reception team can help you set this up, or you can order by using our post box; you do not need to come into the surgery to do this. Alternatively a friend, neighbour or volunteer can do this on your behalf.
Appointments – changes due to Coronavirus
Please see our recent Practice Update for September / October 2020 including appointment information.
16/3/2020
Following recent guidelines from NHS relating to COVID – 19 (coronavirus) we had to make temporary changes to our appointment system.
All appointments will be telephone or video consultations. These include pre-bookable appointments.
Certain nurse appointments (Depo/B12/Immunisations) are currently still available to book in advance but all patients will need to monitor themselves for a cough or fever before attending and have been asked to cancel their appointment if this occurs.
At this current time all room users have been asked to contact their patients if their clinics are cancelled or moved to telephone only appointments. Blood clinics are still open.
If you attend the practice please note one of our team will be in the foyer asking you questions and minimising the risk for patients who are in the surgery. Please respect our staff and wait patiently for the person in front of you to be finished. At busy times you may need to queue (especially in the morning).
1. You will notice that our on-line appointments are no longer available.
2. When you call the practice to book an appointment you may be advised it will be a telephone or video appointment.
3. If you have telephone appointment scheduled please ensure you are awaiting a call from your clinician and that we have your current phone number – our staff will check this with you.
4. During your telephone appointment it may be decided you need to come to the surgery to be examined face to face.
Respiratory / Flu like symptoms / High temperature / Cough etc.
1. When you call with flu like symptoms, respiratory related symptoms, high temperature, cough etc you will be asked to self-isolate and not attend the practice.
2. If you feel unwell and need medical attention please contact 111 via their website or telephone. Once screened by NHS 111 and they recommend a GP review you will be offered a telephone call as above. The GP will assess whether you need a face to face appointment at the surgery. If you are attending the surgery you will be asked to be seen in an isolation room and given a specific time to attend.
3. Please don’t arrive too early as you may be asked to wait outside.
4. We have designated one examination room to support our patients with above symptoms and don’t have separate waiting area and therefore will ask you to arrive on time.
5. There may still be delay in your appointment if the condition of the patient before you was complex and required more than initially planned time to fully examine.
We kindly ask you for your patience and understanding as all above changes are necessary to minimise the risk of coronavirus spreading and affecting vulnerable patients as well as the staff at the surgery. We believe that those precautions will allow us to continue providing clinical support for longer mitigating development potential cases among our clinical staff.
Recruitment – Admin/Receptionist
We are recruiting for a receptionist/administrator to join our Oakwood Team. Please see the application on NHS Jobs here: NHS Jobs Advert – Oakwood Medical Centre
