Coronavirus: news from our partners – The NHS is still here for you

News from our partners local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) – Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin

If you need medical help the NHS is still here for you, and it’s important that people continue to access NHS services for conditions that are not related to coronavirus, say health bosses at local CCG groups.

NHS treatment

During the pandemic, if you are concerned about any health condition you should still get in touch with your GP practice and continue to attend medical appointments, unless you have been told not to by your GP or healthcare professional.

If you need medical help, you should contact your GP practice either online or by phone, to be assessed. If you need urgent medical help, use the NHS 111 online service, or if you cannot get help online, call 111. If it’s a serious life-threatening emergency, call 999.

If you are worried about a potential cancer symptom, you should contact your GP practice. The benefits of starting or continuing any cancer treatment during the pandemic will be discussed with you.

If you think you or a family member are suffering with the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, you must seek help immediately and dial 999 immediately.

Use the FAST test to spot the symptoms of a stroke: Face – is the face drooping/ fallen on one side and can they smile? Arms – can they raise both arms and keep them there? Speech – is it slurred? Time to call 999 if you see any of the above signs.

If you are pregnant you should still attend antenatal appointments and contact your midwife or maternity team if you are worried about your health or the health of your unborn baby.

Parents who are worried about the health of their baby or young child should ensure they seek help from their GP or if urgent should call 111.

The NHS continues to support people with their mental health and you should continue to access services as usual. There is an urgent 24/7 mental health service available providing telephone support and advice by calling 0300 124 0365. The NHS is still open for new referrals via your GP.

If you have learning disabilities or autism and need medical help, reasonable adjustments will be made so you get the right care and support. Your local community teams and crisis support lines are available if you are worried or anxious. There are resources about coronavirus available for people with learning disabilities at: www.mpft.nhs.uk/service-users-carers/coronavirus-information/coronavirus-information-people-learning-disabilities

Dr Julian Povey, Chair of NHS Shropshire CCG and local GP, said:

“It’s important that people continue to access NHS services for conditions that are not related to coronavirus. These include any serious conditions such as stroke and heart attacks, cancer patients attending ongoing treatments and expectant mothers attending regular scans.”

Dr Jo Leahy, Chair of NHS Telford and Wrekin CCG and local GP, said:

“The NHS is still delivering services, but people should not just turn up to GP practices without a pre-booked appointment. Appointments can be booked with the GP practice either online or by phone. It’s also important that babies and children continue with routine vaccinations to help protect against serious and potentially deadly illnesses and stop outbreaks in the community.”

Further information

NHS Shropshire CCG

Shropshire CCG is responsible for the planning and commissioning (buying) of health and care services from a range of providers for the people of Shropshire. It also has a duty to monitor these services to ensure they provide a high level of care and are value for money.

It is a clinically-led organisation with 40 GP practices and it provides healthcare services for patients across the county registered with a local GP. The CCG buys a wide range of services, and these include GP and primary care services through to hospital care as well as community services and mental health services.

The CCG’s head office is based at William Farr House in Shrewsbury.

NHS Telford & Wrekin CCG

Telford & Wrekin CCG brings together the 14 GP practices in the Telford and Wrekin area, working together to commission health services for local patients.

We also work with external partners including health service providers, Telford & Wrekin Council and the voluntary sector.

The CCG’s head office is based at Halesfield, Telford.

For further information please call 0333 150 1602 or email: mediacsu@nhs.net