PATIENT NOTICE

MARINE LAKE MEDICAL PRACTICE WILL NOT BE ISSUING FACE MASK EXEMPTION LETTERS  

Please note eConsult is switched off from 6. 30 pm on Fridays until 6.30pm on Sundays

World Mental Health Day - talk to your Social Prescribing Link Worker

Anxiety, Desperation, Low mood, Stress, Sleeplessness ...

Our mental health affects us all in so many different ways and the pandemic has only added more stress to our daily lives. I know that making positive change can seem so hard, especially during uncertain times, and sometimes it can be hard to know where to start.

Experts agree that the mental health repercussions of Covid-19 will be felt for years to come. Financial stress, the struggle to care for children while schools are closed, and loss and grief are only some of the widespread impacts of this pandemic. More than ever, we need to stay connected and know where to find support for ourselves and our loved ones.

I am your Social Prescribing Link Worker based at your GP surgery and I am here to help you with practical, emotional and social issues.

To connect with us please call Marine Lake Medical Practice and ask for Alison or Michelle, your Social Prescribing Link Workers.

CWP Mental health helpline - 0800 145 6485

MIND - 0300 466 6463

Talking Together Wirral - 0151 649 1859

Patient Notice

For all presciption queries please do not use e-consult instead please select the prescription option found at the top of the web page or click on the image to the right, thank you  

23 October 2020

Dear Wirral Resident,

There has been a lot of media coverage recently in relation to people being able to see a GP face to face during the Coronavirus pandemic.

We want to reassure all Wirral residents that General Practice has been open and seeing patients throughout the pandemic. The way GP’s work had to change very quickly in March to ensure that patients with COVID-19 and those without, could be helped according to their need. As with all parts of the NHS, the Coronavirus pandemic has been a significant challenge and, as you will be aware, there were significant issues with the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The purpose of this update is to assure our patients that they can access their GP, and that their GP is able to discuss and decide with them, the most appropriate way for them to be assessed.

For many patients a telephone or video consultation is sufficient to meet their needs. Face to Face appointments have been discouraged unless clinically necessary, in order to comply with national guidance about social distancing and to reduce footfall through practices, none of which were designed or built with a coronavirus pandemic in mind.

Following the easing of restrictions in the summer, practices have been actively working to recommence routine work such as health screening and immunisations, and the annual Flu vaccination programme is currently being rolled out across Wirral.

As we enter the winter period it is evident that the challenges presented by the Coronavirus pandemic will not go away and we will continue to operate in the way we have worked since March throughout the winter months. It is absolutely vital that all parts of our local NHS work together to manage not only the rise in COVID-19 infections but also the usual challenges that winter presents.

We all have a role to play in getting through this difficult time and we would ask all residents to ensure that they follow the guidance from the Government and Wirral Council. This will help your local NHS manage through the winter.

We would like to thank all Wirral Practices and that is including all clinical and non-clinical staff for the hard work that they have undertaken during the pandemic.

We hope that this update reassures you of the continued commitment of NHS Wirral CCG and the 51 Wirral GP Practices to deliver Health and Care to Wirral residents.

Please keep safe and well during these difficult times.

Dr Paula Cowan, Chair and Dr Simon Delaney, Medical Director NHS Wirral CCG

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

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The NHS and Public Health England (PHE) are extremely well prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases. The NHS has put in place measures to ensure the safety of all patients and NHS staff while also ensuring services are available to the public as normal.

NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need medical help and advise you what to do.

Use this service if:

• you think you might have coronavirus
• in the last 14 days you've been to a country or area with a high risk of coronavirus – see coronavirus advice for travellers and a list of high risk countries on uk
• you've been in close contact with someone with coronavirus

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Stay indoors and avoid close contact with other people. Call 111 if you need to speak to someone.

In Scotland call your GP or NHS 24 on 111 out of hours.

In Wales call 111 (if available in your area) or 0845 46 47.

In Northern Ireland call 111.

Further information and details of how to self-isolate are available on nhs.uk.

We are confident that our website will provide clear and concise help and give our patients the information they require in an easy and convenient format.

It has been designed with the patient’s needs at the forefront of everything, from checking surgery times to letting us know what you think of us.

Accessibility Statement 

This website is run by My Surgery Website. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

• zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
• the is usable with Browsealoud.

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Serving You

Our dedicated team are here to treat those minor ailments that occur as well as providing specialist management of long-term conditions and clinics covering a wide range of healthcare issues. The technology also means you can now do a lot of things from the comfort of your home such as order a repeat prescription or book/cancel an appointment.

Partners in Care

Once registered, patients and healthcare professionals work together to ensure the most appropriate care is provided. This partnership philosophy extends even further and our active patient group exists to make sure that patient needs and the practice offering are always heading in the same direction.

Access

The practice is easily accessible to wheelchair users and there is a suitable toilet available.  Any patient who needs extra help can let us know at reception either in advance of the appointment or when booking in. People with a hearing difficulty can ask a receptionist to tell them when they are called. Names are shown on the screen in the waiting areas as well as a voice message when the doctor or nurse is ready to see you.