Coronavirus: Help and Advice
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 remain available to the public.
Help and Advice
Advice is changing on a daily basis and up-to-date information is available via the NHS website below. GP surgeries are following the guidance here
Patients are advised to contact NHS 111 via the online service to relieve pressure on the number of calls to 111
For patients concerned that they may have coronavirus or may have come into contact with someone who has, the NHS 111 online service has created coronavirus pages that tell patients what they should do based on their particular circumstances. This can be accessed here
For patients who are recovering from coronavirus, some helpful advice may be accessed here
Update on 29th April 2020
You may have seen in the news media that Coronavirus testing is now available to people with symptoms that are over 65; must travel for work or have a clinical referral from 111. These tests are only available to book via the government website (either visiting a regional test centre or ordering a home testing kit) – the web address is www.gov.uk/coronavirus and there is an option on that page ‘Testing for Coronavirus’.
Those unable to access the internet can call 119 in England and Wales or 0300 303 2713 in Scotland and Northern Ireland to book a test.