Latest News  Join a COVID-19 clinical trial  The PRINCIPLE trial aims to find treatments that reduce hospital admission and improve symptoms for people with COVID-19. You could be eligible to join if  • You have had these symptoms for fewer than 15 days:  o a continuous new or worsening cough o a high temperature  • You are aged 50 to 64 with a pre-existing illness • You are aged 65 and above  Find out more visit https://www.phctrials.ox.ac.uk/principle-trial     03 April 2020: IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT INHALERS  Dear Patients  Are you thinking of requesting an inhaler you haven't had for years "just in case" ?  If you have been diagnosed with asthma or COPD and it is on your regular repeat prescription because you sometimes need it for flare-ups, DO ensure that you have in-date medication at home.  But if you • do not have a diagnosis of asthma or COPD, • have not had problems requiring an inhaler for some years, • and have no symptoms of wheeze or breathlessness or cough at present  please DO NOT contact the surgery to ask for inhalers. The priority at present is to ensure that people who definitely need inhalers have them.  If you have any symptoms do please book a telephone appointment to discuss.  Many thanks for working together with us at this time  02 April 2020: ISOLATION NOTES / SICK NOTES  To reduce the burden on GP practices a new online system, created by the NHS and the Department for Work and Pensions, is now live for patients to be emailed a digital isolation note.  Isolation notes provide patients with evidence for their employers that they have been advised to self-isolate due to coronavirus, either because they have symptoms or they live with someone who has symptoms, and so cannot work.  As isolation notes can be obtained without contacting a doctor, this will reduce the pressure on GP surgeries and prevent people needing to leave their homes.  HOW TO ACCESS THE NOTES  The notes can be accessed through either:-  NHS website www.nhs.uk  NHS 111 online www.111.nhs.uk  After answering a few questions, an isolation note will be emailed to the user.  If you don’t have an email address, you can have the note sent to a trusted family member or friend, or directly to their employer.  The service can also be used to generate an isolation note on behalf of someone else.   General Coronavirus Notice  The NHS in Bedfordshire 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 are available to the public as normal.  The Chief Medical Officer has announced that the country is moving into the ‘Delay’ stage of the response to coronavirus from Friday, 13th March 2020.  The new advice issued by the Chief Medical Officer is as follows:  Stay at home for 7 days if you have either:  • a high temperature  • a new continuous cough  Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.  You do not need to contact 111 to tell them you're staying at home.  Use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service if:  • you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home  • your condition gets worse  • your symptoms do not get better after 7 days  Only call 111 if you cannot get help online.  Stay At Home advice can be found here  Everyone is being reminded to 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.  More information can be found on the NHS website here  Information for the public is available at gov.uk/coronavirus