Welcome to Atrium Health Centre
With patients' needs at the heart of everything we do, our website has been designed to make it easy for you to gain instant access to the information you need. As well as specific practice details such as opening hours and how to register, you’ll find a wealth of useful pages covering a wide range of health issues along with links to other relevant medical organisations.
National Patient Survey Results;
We recently received our National Patient Survey results and although we improved in quite a few individual areas we were disappointed to see that our overall satisfaction score had dropped by quite a big percentage. We are discussing these results between all our teams to look at the places our scores have dropped and what we can do to improve these areas where we scored less, but in the meantime we would still ask that you contact us with any problems, issues or suggestions to help us keep reviewing our services.
However we would like to point out that this survey is based on the views of a very small percentage of our practice population, and to put this into context the questionnaire was sent out by NHS England to only 3% of our patients and the actual survey results on the replies of only 1.5% of our patients.
Coronavirus Advice to Patients (Updated 3rd August 2020)
We are still open and would ask anyone with any health concerns to get in touch with us; you may not be seen face-to-face, but you will be assessed by a GP.
In line with current Government guidance we are asking any Patient who is attending the surgery to wear a Face Covering when entering the building; this can be in the form of a self-purchased mask, a home-made mask or a scarf. Unfortunately due to PPE supply restrictions we cannot provide surgical masks to our patients.
We are still operating on a triage style system whereby any appointment requested will be added to our GP list for a telephone or Video consultation; the GP may then decide to see you face-to-face if they deem appropriate and safe to do so.
If you have a Nurse or HCA appointment booked you will be telephoned the day before to check if you have any symptoms; if you do not then you will be given the choice to attend surgery or delay your appointment.
If you have a routine query that you would like dealt with please use our e-Consult service (see link below) and a GP will get back to you within 48 hours.
We are receiving updates from NHS England, Public Health England, Dorset CCG and the Government on a daily basis about the spread of the pandemic and as a practice have put many steps in place to protect both you as patients and our staff at the practice.
Thank you all for your patience and help during this time.
Updated advice for Shielding Patients; please click here.
If you are over the age of 70, have an underlying health condition or are pregnant the government are advising that you put in place social distancing measures. Please click here for full details
Face mask exemption on public transport and in shops
As of 24 July, everyone must wear a face covering on Public Transport and in Shops.
These rules don’t apply to children under the age of 11 and disabled people or those with health conditions when there is a ‘reasonable excuse‘ not to. This includes:
- where you cannot put on, wear, or remove a face covering:
- without severe distress
- because of any physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability (within the meaning of section 6 of the Equality Act 2010
- where you are travelling with, or providing assistance to, another person who relies on lip-reading to communicate
- to eat or drink where it is reasonably necessary to do so
- where you have to remove your face covering to take medication
This means that exemptions only apply if you have a disability or condition that would make it very difficult to wear a face covering. For example;
- if you have respiratory condition, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, you may find it too difficult to breathe through a face covering.
- If you have a learning difficulty, sensory processing disorder or neurodivergent condition, wearing a mask could be too overwhelming.
- If you have communication difficulties, speech impairment or find it hard to express yourself with a mask on, especially if you are non-verbal, a mask would be difficult.
- Mask exemptions also apply if you need to communicate with a deaf person who lip-reads.
This is list is not exhaustive and there will be many other disabilities, including invisible ones, that would make wearing a mask very difficult.
As a GP Practice we are getting an increase in requests from patients for letters of exemption to wearing face masks in various public settings. The Government guidance suggests there is no requirement for evidence for exemption so it should be enough for someone to declare that they are eligible for an exemption direct with the person questioning them (e.g. a bus driver).
Practices are therefore not required to provide letters of support for those who fall under the list of exemptions, or to those who do not fall under the list of exemptions. Please see letter explaining this further.
Some transport providers are providing evidence of exemptions themselves, see for example this information from First Bus and Arriva.
See also:
New Guidance on spending time outdoors;
- People are now allowed to spend more time outdoors
- You can go to parks and beaches to sunbathe, have a picnic and go fishing
- Outdoor sports courts are now open, including tennis and basketball courts as well as golf courses
- You can see one person from another household, as long as you follow social distance guidance; this follows scientific advice that the risk of infection outside is significantly lower than inside
- All of the new regulations are subject to social distancing rules
See
here for full details.
For advice on how to help others safely please click here.
If you need evidence of absence for your employer, or to provide information for the suggested 2 weeks shielding before a planned operation please click here.
If you have a new continuous cough, a high temperature and\or you lose your sense of smell you should stay at home and avoid close contact with people for 7 days; members of your household should self isolate with you for 14 days. Please do not go to a GP surgery, community pharmacy or hospital. If you get worse during this time call 111.
Anyone displaying symptoms as described above can now book a test by visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus
Antibody testing for patients;
The antibody tests are used to see if someone has previously had the virus. It is different to the general test for COVID-19 as it is a blood test and not a swap test.
The test lets us know if someone has had the virus and developed antibodies, but it does not tell us if someone is immune to COVID-19.
If you receive a positive antibody result it does not mean that you’re immune, or that you cannot pass on the virus to others. It also does not mean that you can ignore social distancing measures.
Clinicians may be able to request a test for patients in both hospital and social care settings if they think it’s appropriate.
There is more information about antibody testing on the .Gov website.
Please follow Public Health England advice to:
- Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are unwell.
Five things you can do to protect yourself and your community.
Further information is available on www.nhs.uk or www.gov.uk
For local support contact details during the pandemic, please click here.
If you have been asked to attend the Mid-Dorset Hot Clinic, please see here for video instructions on what you should do on arrival.
Parents;
Please note that COVID19 is unlikely to cause a serious illness in children, but please remember children can still become seriously unwell from other causes that are always around. Please do not let concerns over COVID19 stop you from contacting medical services. If you are not sure if your child needs to be seen please go to https://www.what0-18.nhs.uk/national for advice or contact 111 or your GP. For information about crying babies go to https://www.what0-18.nhs.uk/national If your child is severely unwell call 999 or go to ED.
Resources for young children are linked below:
Coronavirus explained for Kids
Coronavirus information for young children
Dave the dog book
PLEASE NOTE: The response time for e-consults is 2 working days.
We politely ask that you do not contact the surgery to chase a response before this time.
Visit us on Facebook
We are now live on Facebook; so please follow us as we will use Facebook to update you of all relevant NHS information and anything we need to urgently tell you about the practice (e.g. surgery closures, sickness, etc).
10 Things I Bet You Didn’t Know About Your GP!
To read insider knowledge of exactly how your surgery really works, please click here.
Have you visited the NHS website?
Leave your rating and review for the Atrium Health Centre by clicking here.
nhs.uk is the official health website for the National Health Service in England. It contains thousands of articles, tools and videos, helping you to make the best health and lifestyle choices.
- Access to a range of different services, including a Pharmacy Finder
- Practical health information
- Information regarding management of long-term health conditions
Patient Online Service: Viewing your online medical record (including your full medical record, medications, allergies, vaccinations and test results), ordering prescriptions and booking your appointments
Patients registered with our Surgery can now book appointments and request repeat prescriptions using their computer, tablet or smart phone, at a convenient time to them using this online service. All patient information is kept securely.
This benefits patients, saving them a telephone call or journey to the Surgery and the service can also be used when the Surgery is closed. For patients with long term health conditions, they can be more involved with their healthcare by being able to access test results and track their treatment.
This service operates alongside traditional ways of accessing services and does not replace them. Allowing patients who want to use this service to book appointments and order prescriptions should help others to find it easier to get through on the telephone during busy times of the day.
Please visit the Surgery and speak to one of the receptionists to register for this online service.
You will need to bring with you 2 items of identification; one of photographic ID in date (e.g. a passport or driving license) and proof of your current address (e.g. utility bill, bank statement, or council tax bill - must be dated within the last 3 months).
You will be provided with a letter containing your PIN number, enabling you to register.
Once you have registered, click on the following link to log in: Patient Online Service
Access to online services - patient information leaflet
(Site updated 03/08/2020)