“Please respect those people who are working to support you.”
A number of people have been in contact with 95.9FM Andover Radio this morning to share stories of their first day at work since the government request to stay at home.
One called said while they are working on the frontline they are getting verbally abused.
Yesterday, Shepherd Spring Medical Center had to handle queues of up to 200 people which meant a two-hour wait for some peoples’ prescription collections.
Staff at the pharmacy say they are working in “a dangerous situation” and doing everything they can to get through orders. But as they work staff came under verbal abuse.
Police were in attendance yesterday to check on their staff. Trouble makers in the queues are only delaying the serving of customers.
It’s recommended that only people with “urgent meds” attend the pharmacy.
Many pharmacy workers at Shepherds Spring on The Oval handled an 11 hour day yesterday without a lunch break.
- Please show some respect for workers at this difficult time.
- Urgent medical needs only.
- There is no guarantee they will have your medication in stock.
A full statement from Shepherd Spring Medical Centre is below:
We are making adjustments in line with GMC guidance to limit the amount of patient contact, unless absolutely essential, to avoid the spread of the virus; especially to vulnerable groups that we see.
We are also limiting the amount of patient in the waiting are at one time for the same purpose. To provide best and safest patient care with appropriate staffing levels we are going to cancel all routine appointments from Monday 23rd March inclusive. Patients can contact Reception first thing in the morning of any given week day if they feel they require medical attention that day. They will get a call back from a doctor the same morning who will assist them as is deemed necessary.
I reiterate the government advice, please DO NOT attend the surgery if you have a fever or cough and DO self-isolate for 7 days or if any of your household is self-isolating, please DO self-isolate for 14 days. If you feel too unwell to do this, or your normal daily activities please contact 111.
We are aware of the difficulties these changes may cause, but appreciate patients understanding at this volatile and unprecedented time. If you require further information on Covid-19 please see 111.nhs.uk/covid-19
Employees unable to work because of coronavirus can now access a digital sick note from 111.nhs.uk without having to go to the doctor.
If you need a non-urgent appointment please use eConsult. Please allow 72 hours for us to respond to your request. If it is an urgent medical problem, please ring the surgery for a Duty appointment
Please note with immediate effect it will NOT be possible to collect prescriptions from the surgery. Please DO NOT attend the surgery for this. These will be sent electronically to your nominated pharmacy or we will text you the pharmacy that the request has been sent to. Many Thanks for your help in co-operating with this.
