Dear Oaklands Patient

We are all aware of the amount of attention that the coronavirus is receiving in the press at the moment and we thought it might be helpful to summarise the resources that are available to you.

Information resources

As a starting point the NHS website provides an overview of the virus and some general advice on how to avoid catching or spreading it.  This information can be found at -

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

This website will also provide you with a link to the NHS 111 coronavirus service that includes an online triage tool to determine what advice may be most applicable to you, including whether you should self-isolate, for a specific period of time.

If you are concerned you have coronavirus then please use this link -

https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19

Demand on the NHS

As you can imagine there is an increasing level of demand being placed upon NHS services and it is important that we all help in ensuring that healthcare services remain resilient.

If you think you might have coronavirus, or you’ve been in close contact with someone who has it:

• Stay at home and avoid close contact with other people
• Use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19
• Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital

eConsult
eConsult enables our practice to offer online consultations to patients.  It allows patients to submit their symptoms or requests electronically and offers NHS self-help information, signposting to relevant services and a symptom checker.  Most importantly it allows us to triage patients quickly and efficiently (within 24hours) and make sure you get the right care as quickly as possible.

We are encouraging all patients to consider this option as the primary way of requesting an appointment or support from Oaklands Health Centre.  You will find the link to eConsult on our website:

https://www.oaklandshealthcentre.com/-2-

Over the coming weeks we will share further updates with you about our service and where to find the most up to date advice on the coronavirus. 

Yours sincerely

Dr A Balachandran                                                                           Dr M Chandrakumar

Published: Mar 12, 2020