Community News

---

 Virtual Lapworth Parish Council Meeting

 7.30pm – 8th June 2020

---

Lapworth Volunteers

Support during Coronavirus Pandemic

You may have received a letter from NHS England recommending that you self isolate over the next 12 weeks for medical reasons. You will almost certainly also have seen or heard about the Prime Minister’s announcement last night which now makes that recommendation a requirement.

If so you may be feeling isolated and concerned about the coming weeks and months, especially if you do not have friends or family or neighbours to help, and therefore be wondering how to keep getting essential tasks done.

Lapworth Volunteers is a newly formed team of people set up by the Patients Participation Group, Lapworth Charity and Lapworth Parish Council to support you in a number of ways. We have over 76 volunteers registered already.

Specifically we will be offering a service to supply essential groceries to those in most need and a phoning service to help counter loneliness and to report other emergency needs.

Please note though that all medical and medicine enquiries and requirements must continue to go through Lapworth Surgery reception as normal, using one of the following methods:

• “e-consult” which is accessible via the website lapworthsurgery.co.uk
• Telephone 01564 783983
• For repeat prescriptions, deposit the request form in the box outside the front door of the surgery, send by post or use the secure online Patient Access system for which you can register via lapworthsurgery.co.uk

Please do not visit the Surgery without an appointment and certainly not if you have any symptoms that may be associated with Coronavirus (eg fever, dry cough, shortness of breath etc.).

During this busy time please also allow 3 full working days before collection of your prescriptions and please DO NOT ring up and ask if your prescriptions are ready for collection. The surgery is currently receiving numerous such calls which are tying up the phones and receptionists so your help in this respect would be much appreciated

Patients not registered with Lapworth Surgery should check arrangements with their own practice.

Therefore, if you are self isolating and have no access to any other support, we can help with essential tasks such as shopping for and delivering basic necessities to your door.

Or, if you are in need of friendly conversation or want to talk to somebody about your needs, we’re also here to help.

The key ways to contact us are:  help@lapworthpc.org.uk  and 01564 781360

Finally, if you know someone in the local area who is vulnerable, self isolating and in need of help from volunteers in the community please can you pass this message and contact numbers on to them, without physical contact. This will be an ongoing requirement as the situation develops. Please do not share individual’s personal details without prior permission.

You can contact us by email or by phone at any time, and we will seek to respond as quickly as we can.

 

Coronavirus (COVID19)

---

CHANGES AT LAPWORTH SURGERY

·      All online bookings of face to face appointments are suspended. To book an appointment you must be screened by reception to prevent a Corona case from entering the surgery.

·      We are expanding our telephone and electronic appointments and reducing face-to-face appointments. This will reduce the risk of infection to you. Use the eConsult feature on our website www.lapworthsurgery.co.uk where possible.

·      Where possible a doctor will triage your call and attempt to solve your issue on the phone.

 

How to stay safe

• Remember 80% of all corona infections are mild and get better with no treatment. Children seem to be the lucky ones with only mild symptoms across the board which is great.
• Wash your hands regularly before anything you touch goes near your face, mouth, nose or eyes. Dry carefully and apply alcohol gel if you have it (the soap is more important so don’t panic if you don’t have gel).
• Cough into tissues and dispose, washing your hands after.
• Try to avoid touching your face (try to beat 5 minutes without it as a family game!)
• Avoid handshaking, kisses and unnecessary social engagements, you’ll never have a better excuse to put off your mother-in-law!
• Keep some supplies in the house in case you need to self-isolate for 2 weeks. Tins, frozen food and things to keep up your morale if you are feeling ‘isolated!’ (not too much wine or whisky though you are not supposed to enjoy it!)
• If you have a fever or cough, DO NOT GO TO WORK.
• If you have a fever or cough but your symptoms are mild DO NOT GO TO THE DOCTOR, manage your symptoms with paracetamol, fluids and rest.
• If you have a fever or cough or flu-like symptoms and have travelled to one of the at risk areas or had contact with someone with Corona then SELF ISOLATE AND CALL 111
• If you feel you do not fit any of these criteria contact us on eConsult via the practice website lapworthsurgery.co.uk or get a telephone appointment to discuss things with one of our team.
• Please look after your friends and neighbours in Lapworth especially if they are old or isolated. Share this information with them over the phone. Pass this on electronically if they are. Give them a ring and see if there’s anything they need. Avoid all but essential PHYSICAL contact with them though. Remember the elderly and frail are the ones with the highest risk.

---