Coronavirus: Local Information

 

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Please do not come to the surgery if you have any symptoms of coronavirus. These include a high temperature or a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

If you have these symptoms, please book a free test by visiting the government website or calling 119 and self-isolate with members of your household until you get the results. 

If you test positive you must self-isolate for 10 days from when your symptoms started and those you live with must self-isolate for 14 days, but they don’t need to get tested unless they develop symptoms too.

If other members of your household develop symptoms too, they should get tested and if the result is positive they must self-isolate for 10 days from when their symptoms started, which might mean they self-isolate for longer than 14 days overall

If other members of your household develop symptoms too, they should get tested and if the result is positive they must self-isolate for 10 days from when their symptoms started, which might mean they self-isolate for longer than 14 days overall.

For all non-urgent queries, please use our AccuRx service or email them using our online form

We are receiving an exceptionally high number of calls and emails and are trying to get back to patients as soon as possible, but please bear with us as we may not be able to get back to you as quick as we used to.

Thank you for your understanding during this time.

 

image of patient receiving vaccine

Delivering an NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme

Thousands of people in Devon are being vaccinated against COVID-19 every day as the biggest vaccination programme in the NHS’s history gathers pace.

Vaccination is the way of out lockdown and the pandemic. An effective vaccine is the best way to protect people from coronavirus.

GET MORE INFORMATION HERE

 

Wearing Face Masks

We at Westbank Practice ask that all patients who have been invited into the surgery to please wear a mask or face covering at all times. This is to help protect you, other patients and our staff. Below is some guidance on when wearing a mask or covering may not be appropriate. 

Please note, it is NOT the responsibility or the role of the Surgery to issue anyone with an exemption letter or certificate. Please visit the websites below for more information.

Face mask exemption on public transport and in shops

Certain rules don’t apply to children under the age of 11 and disabled people or those with health conditions when there is a ‘reasonable excuse‘ not to. This includes:

Image of patient wearing a face mask

  • where you cannot put on, wear, or remove a face covering:
  • where you are travelling with, or providing assistance to, another person who relies on lip-reading to communicate
  • to eat or drink where it is reasonably necessary to do so
  • where you have to remove your face covering to take medication

To put this into context, exemptions apply if you have a disability or condition that would make it very difficult to wear a face covering.

For example, if you have respiratory condition, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, you may find it too difficult to breathe through a face covering.

If you have a learning difficulty, sensory processing disorder or neurodivergent condition, wearing a mask could be too overwhelming.

If you have communication difficulties, speech impairment or find it hard to express yourself with a mask on, especially if you are non-verbal, a mask would be difficult.

Mask exemptions also apply if you need to communicate with a deaf person who lip-reads.

This is list is not exhaustive and there will be many other disabilities, including invisible ones, that would make wearing a mask very difficult.

Below are some links to other helpful websites:

types of face mask

If you do not currently have a face mask or covering, here is a link to the government website detailing how you can make your own using every day items you should be able to find at home.

Please note, that if you do not have a face mask or covering we will not be able to provide you with one so please ensure you bring one with you. 

Thank you for your continued cooperation during this time. 

Westbank Practice.