THE NHS is here for you. We’re here, we’re still working and delivering services – but those services look very different to how they were before the pandemic and you need to access them in different ways.
I think most people are familiar with this by now but for instance if you want to contact your GP, you need to call the practice or get in touch via the practice website and not turn up at the practice. You should only go to the practice if invited to do so.
The spread of the virus may be slowing but it is still out there and we need to be careful.
On that last note, health and care services are still in pandemic response mode and we are remaining prepared for a possible surge in cases.
Having said that, we are looking at what services we can turn back on safely while maintaining social distancing – to make sure those people who need care receive it.
As you can imagine, this is a real challenge but there are people who need health care and we – locally in Farnham and as a wider health and care system – are determined to support them.
There has been a huge increase in the use of technology as part of delivering health services, including video calls.
Some people are used to using technology while others aren’t so keen, but we as medical professionals appreciate everyone’s efforts to adapt to this new way of working as it really helps us to help local people.
It’s important to note there is a lot of support available in the community.
In Farnham, the town council has done an amazing job of coordinating the community effort and you can find out more on its website farnham.gov.uk, where there are details of the coronavirus helpline and support fund.
More widely, both Waverley Borough Council and Surrey County Council have dedicated coronavirus pages on their websites.
This week is Carers Week and the theme is Making Caring Visible – and because of the pandemic it’s even more important we do what we can to support the hidden army of carers.
What they do is crucial and it supports the person they care for, it supports the local community and it supports the country as a whole.
You can find more information on carers support on the Frimley Health and Care website and on the Surrey County Council carers’ support page.
We have also this week received a new ‘hot cabin’ to go with our ‘hot tent’ for treating suspect Covid cases in the car park at Farnham Hospital. This is part of our three-month planning cycle, to free up the hospital’s outpatients’ department for planned care.