COVID VACCINATION
Please click this link for more information on the roll out of the COVID vaccine locally.
Covid Management - Site Changes
Appointments at the surgery
Due to the current severity of the Covid pandemic we are taking further measures to protect our staff and patients, including limiting the number of people in the surgery.
You should only come to the surgery if you have an appointment.
All other correspondence with the surgery should be done through the usual channels – website, telephone, post etc.
In order that we do not exceed our maximum number of people in the surgery, please;
DO NOT arrive early for your appointment.
As ever, please wear a face covering, and do not attend if you have a temperature over 37.8 degrees, a new cough or loss of smell/taste.
We will be operating a one way system through the buildings and ask that you maintain social distancing.
All of our “duty” appointments will be carried out at our Hook site – this is to keep our Hartley Wintney site as safe as possible for both our vulnerable patients and staff. Government guidance advises that shielding patients can still attend medical appointments, and we will see those patient at Hartley Wintney and, where possible, at quieter times of day.
Any patients with possible Covid symptoms will be given an appointment at our Winter Assessment Hub in Old Basing. This is being run jointly by the practices across North Hampshire and we all take turns at staffing it. It is a very safe environment for assessment so please do not be alarmed if we ask you to go there instead of coming to the practice. Further details are on our website.
Services we can continue to provide
We are working extremely hard to provide primary care to our patients over this winter period, as well as deliver the largest flu campaign, help staff the Winter Assessment Centre and deliver the Covid Vaccination Programme. Our staff is key to delivering this, but they too are having to take time off due to Covid infection, self-isolation or even shielding. Therefore, unfortunately, some services will have to take priority over others. We are committed to supporting our vulnerable patients, such as those with learning disabilities or mental health conditions, or those with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, and will be continuing to invite them in for important reviews.
Cancer concerns
During the first lockdown we know patients delayed seeking help for worrying, possibly cancer-type, symptoms. If you develop any worrying new symptoms, we urge you to make contact with us for further assessment. Like you, we do not want to see an increase in cancer-related deaths due to this pandemic so will be continuing to offer our screening services such as cervical smears, so please do attend these appointments.
Thank you
We know you will appreciate that things are moving very quickly and this information may change at short notice. However, we wanted to share with you some of the things that are being put in place. We also want to assure you that we are here for you, despite the massive pressures facing the NHS, and are very grateful for your understanding during this difficult time.
Flu clinics
Whitewater Health continues to offer flu vaccines to the following persons:
Those at risk age 18-64
Those at risk age 65 and above
Pregnant ladies
Children pre school age
Those not at risk age 50-64
Flu Poster Flu Information Leaflet
Winter Assessment Centre
North Hampshire GP practices have set up a COVID Winter Assessment Hub which will carry out testing for patients with COVID and which will carry out baseline observations to identify those who are unwell so that we can refer early. For those patients who are COVID positive, and not unwell, but at high risk, we will enter them into the COVID Oximetry at Home (CO@h) service, with home monitoring, to identify deterioration early. The referral to this site will be by each practice that the patient is registered with.
COVID-19 WINTER ASSESSMENT HUB and COVID OXIMETRY AT HOME Full Address:
Old Basing Health Centre, Manor Lane, Old Basing, Basingstoke RG24 7AE
Opening Hours: 8.30am-6.30pm (with bookable appointments from 9.15am to 5.30pm)
To protect patients and staff in home GPs practices, we have deliberately set wide admission criteria at the Winter Assessment Hub.
This allows practices to safely see vulnerable and shielded patients in their own surgeries, reducing the risk of COVID transmission. We will see all patients with:
• Fever > 37.8 (whatever the likely cause) OR
• Respiratory Symptoms – a new continuous cough OR
• Loss of taste or smell
New phone system
We have a new call system, when you call into the Surgery you will be given one of three options to select.
Option 1. Healthcare Professionals calling to discuss a patient
Option 2. Urgent Medical Query needs advice today
Option 3. Routine Appointments with Health Care Professionals and general enquiries
How to access our services
Have you tried self help?
Please view the NHS website for self help options for medical conditions ranging from A-Z. If this is applicable click here
If this is not applicable to you, have you taken advice form the Pharmacist at your local pharmacy?
If this is not applicable to you, we are here to help.
E-Consultations
Please click on the image below to use the e-consult system
This is directly linked to the GP practice clinical system and therefore gives improved access to patients (response time is by the end of the next working day *weekends excluded)
NHS APP
Please click on the image below to sign up to the NHS App.
This is directly linked to the GP practice clinical system and therefore gives improved access to patients.
NHS Track and Trace APP
Click Here to Download from Apple
Click Here to Download from Google
Face Covering
For our safety we ask you to wear a face mask upon entering the surgery, however we appreciate that there are some patients who for medical reasons may not be able to wear a mask. If you are exempt from wearing a mask please CLICK HERE to download the governments exemption card.
For patients who do not have a mobile, to demonstrate mask exemption please CLICK HERE for the printable version, we ask that you carry this with you on a daily basis as well as entering the surgery.
As per the Governments advise the surgery is not required to give further written confirmation of mask exemption and primary care is advised to signpost patients to the above links.
Cancer update for Patients
Cancer Awareness Information - Click Here
Whitewater Health
Whitewater Health is a practice which operates under 4 GP Partners and 6 salaried GPs working from two purpose built surgeries in Hook and Hartley Wintney, Hampshire. The partners and staff at this long-established local practice are committed to providing the highest level of patient care.
Having steadily grown since 1920, we are now serving a community of nearly 18,000 patients and we have recently become part of the Whitewater Loddon Primary Care Network with local practices in Chineham and Bramley.
Whitewater Health will send patients text messages directly relating to their care; which is inclusive but not limited to information about appointments, results, and matters relating to medical conditions, such as links for remote care plans or annual reviews and links to NHS self help tools. We will be continuing to ask patients to provide us with the most current mobile phone number they use.
Whitewater Health works within the NHS national standards for prescriptions, the impact of this, is that prescriptions will be authorised by each patients GP or clinical pharmacist, or prescribing nurse. These will be sent to the pharmacy of the patients choice. The aim is to reduce and remove the requirements for prescriptions in paper form, though a patient can request a "note" of the prescriptions they are to receive.
Care Navigation
To meet patients needs we direct patients to the most appropriate health care professional within the most appropriate time. The patient services coordinators will ask patients details about the nature of the call, to ensure that the take down all appropriate information for signposting the patient to the right appointment, this is in keeping with the NHS person centred approach.
Click here for more information
Whitewater Health are pleased to sponsor 'Hook Runners' - the Village Running Club for all - please visit their website for more information
http://www.hookrunners.com
(Site updated 11/01/2021)