Following guidance from Public Health England, the advice is as follows:

If you have symptoms of either a high temperature and/or a new continuous cough, please

• self-isolate at home for 7 days
• do not visit the GP surgery, dispensary or the hospital.

This will help protect others in our community while you are still infectious.

Swabs - GP practices are not currently able to take swabs to confirm coronavirus infection in the community. If you have mild symptoms, you do not need to contact 111 to inform them you are self-isolating at home.

“Stay at home” guidance for people with confirmed or possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection” - please click on link above.

Use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service or call 111 if you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, your condition gets worse or your symptoms do not get better after 7 days.

As a Practice, we want to continue to be able to care for our patients but in a way that reduces as much as possible the risk of spreading the virus to patients and staff. As a result, if you have an appointment already booked, please be prepared for the surgery to contact you, either by phone or text, to cancel non-urgent appointments, or change them to a telephone or video consultation.  We will be using telephone calls for clinicians to triage urgent, on the day appointment requests and where appropriate offer appointments at either Cowfold or Partridge Green sites.  It is possible that you will be asked to wait in your car until your appointment, and be greeted by a GP or nurse wearing a facemask, gloves and apron, and enter the building through a different door.

 We appreciate that this is a rapidly evolving and concerning time and thank you for your patience and understanding.

Please help us to help you. Thank you.

UPDATE REGARDING COVID-19 INFECTION AND THE USE OF ACE INHIBTORS OR ARB MEDICATIONS

It has been suggested in the press and social media recently that some commonly used drugs for the treatment of high blood pressure (namely ACE inhibitors e.g.Ramipril or ARBS e.g. Losartan) may be associated with an increased risk of infection with COVID-19/coronavirus.

On 13^th March 2020, the Council on Hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology released a statement that there was no clinical or scientific evidence to suggest that taking these medications were associated with any harmful effect in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. They strongly recommend that patients continue to take their usual treatment for high blood pressure.