Dear All,
Firstly, thank you. Thank you for your overwhelming support and understanding during this time of crisis. For the most part, you have adapted well to changes implemented to our appointments, reception, prescription procedures and more. You have heeded our advice and stayed away, which has allowed us to be able to safely deal with urgent matters in a timely fashion. You have made us proud of our patients’ response in a crisis.
We need to make three appeals to you:
1) The local pharmacies are drowning in work, with many experiencing 3-4 times as many requests as usual as people panic-order, and they are having to cope with this whilst being down staff members too. Other team members have been drafted in to help, see the picture of Carol & Karen working in Lloyd’s, trying to keep on top of things. Please just maintain your normal ordering patter i.e. order your medication a week before it’s due which gives us, and the pharmacy, plenty of time to have it ready for you.
2) The other photo is a reminder regarding how to use the NHS 24 covid hub responsibly. The reports coming out of the hub – generally, not specifically about our patients – are that people who are basically fine are still calling for advice about mild illness. This blocks up the phone lines / doctors’ time, meaning that people who are struggling to breathe can’t get through. PLEASE do not call if you just have a cough / runny nose / bit of a fever and you’re ‘worried it might be coronavirus’; they cannot test you, all they can do is speak to you on the phone and tell you the information already available comprehensively at https://www.nhsinform.scot/…/infection…/coronavirus-covid-19
Ideally, the testing centre should only be seeing people who are sufficiently unwell that hospital admission is being considered. If you’re not that unwell, don’t call them, please (or us – the exact same applies).
3) PLEASE follow the social distancing advice strictly. Everybody doing their bit is how we will beat this thing. Saw this very simple guide on the BBC News app this morning which covers all the basics:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51711227
And here’s the video I made myself explaining the importance of, and how to adhere to, the new rules:
https://www.clarkstonmedical.co.uk/…/…/SHOULD_I_STAY_YES.mov
Once again, thank you for helping us help you.
Stay safe. Stay at home.
P.S. Please share, the message is applicable to all patients 😊
