Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new respiratory illness that has not previously been seen in humans.  For more information about the Coronavirus please click here. 

What you need to do

Stay at home

You should only leave the house for one of four reasons:

• Shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible.

• One form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household.

• Any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.

• Travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home.

The NHS will be better prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases, if the public follows Public Health England advice.

The NHS has put in place measures to ensure the safety of patients and staff which may mean your patient experience is subject to change.

The new advice issued by the Chief Medical Officer is to stay at home for 7 days if you have either:

• a high temperature or

• a new continuous cough

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or a 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.

Please do not book a GP  appointment or  attend the GP Practice  if you have symptoms associated with coronavirus, including a new continuous cough or a high temperature.

You are advised to stay at home for 7 days.

If your symptoms are serious, or get worse, NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need further medical help and advise you what to do.

Only call 111 direct, if you cannot go online, or are advised to do so by the online service.

If you are wishing to book a routine GP appointment please be aware that these appointments will now be a telephone call with a doctor and the doctor will decide on the call if they need to see you.

NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need medical help and advise you what to do. 

Use this service if:

• you think you might have coronavirus

• you've been in close contact with someone with coronavirus

Advice for people with severe health conditions

This week NHS services will be contacting people with a range of severe health conditions urging them to self-isolate for 12 weeks. We have also contacted all local patients with a generic message following the prime ministers advice yesterday (23 March). Please don’t panic if you have received the text and don’t have a severe health condition. Health advice will be confirmed by letter to those identified this week. There is no need to contact your GP about the message.

Visit https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus for Full guidance on staying at home and away from others

If you require a medical certificate from absence of work related to Coronavirus(Covid-19)

If you require an isolation note please click here

In line with latest government guidelines, GPs are not required to provide medical certificates (Med 3) relating to Coronavirus, however you are able to download the employer letter to assist you at this time: Covid-19 Employer Letter

We think the following websites have some helpful information during this current time:

If you are diabetic: Diabetic information

If you are asthmatic: Information for asthma sufferers

Take care of your mental health and wellbeing during this difficult time: mental health & wellbeing

Ordering Prescriptions

If you do not have online access to order your prescriptions please telephone the surgery and we can set this up for you and post the information out to you so you can do this in future.  Alternatively you can use the external mail box to put your prescription requests into the surgery 24 hours a day without entering the building, this helps to reduce risk to our vulnerable patients and staff alike.  If you have not yet nominated a pharmacist for your prescriptions to go to, please do so.

What to do when Torkard Hill Medical Centre is closed

Outside normal surgery hours (evenings, weekends and bank holidays) emergency cover for the practice is provided by NEMS Community Benefit Services Ltd Out of Hours service. The Out of Hours service provides medical care for patients that do not need Emergency Department Care. It is a service that is led by a range of clinical staff such as GPs, Nurses, Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Emergency Care Practitioners.

This service is for problems which cannot wait until the next available surgery. You will be required to provide full information about your problem and will be expected if required to attend Platform One Practice (based on Station Street, Nottingham) if necessary. Advice may also be given if attending for a face to face appointment is not deemed to be required.

During out of hours you should contact the NHS 111 service if you urgently need medical help or advice but it is not a life threatening situation.

Click here to go to: SystmOne Online

If you have obtained your username and password from us you can order your prescriptions online, book and cancel doctors appointments and view your medical records.

Please note we have temporarily suspended our online appointment booking service, if you require a routine appointment please contact the surgery.

Pharmacy Information

If you would like more information about your local pharmacy and when they are open click here

Extra evening and weekend appointments available in local area

You can now book routine GP and Nurse appointments in the evening, at weekends and over bank holidays in your local area.

Pre-bookable appointments are available Monday-Friday, 6.30pm-8pm, plus weekends and bank holidays and you can be seen by a GP, Nurse or Healthcare Assistant.

To book your appointment, contact the surgery during normal opening hours. Please be aware that the appointment may take place at another GP Practice in the area.

If you need urgent medical advice when the surgery is closed, you should continue to call NHS 111.

Nottinghamshire Help Yourself

The Nottinghamshire Help Yourself site is a partnership between health, the voluntary sector and Nottinghamshire County Council to bring information and advice together in one central place - so people can find the information they need easily.

Click here to go to the Nottinghamshire Help Yourself website.

Surgery closed for staff Education and Training

Please note that the surgery will be closed from 12.30 for staff education and training on the following dates: 

Dates to be confirmed

If you require urgent medical attention during these times please dial 111.

Your call will be dealt with by the NHS and depending on your condition and its severity you will be

•  given advice or

•  asked to attend an out of hours GP service within in Nottinghamshire or

•  visited by the doctor on call or

•  asked to attend an Emergency Department within Nottinghamshire 

Torkard Matters - Our Practice Newsletter

We publish our practice e-newsletter monthly, it allows us to communicate new services and developments as well as letting you know about current health and community matters.  We send e-newsletter to all our Patient Participation Group (PPG) members.  If you are not already a PPG member but would like to join our active virtual group please email us on NNESTCCG.AdminTorkard@nhs.net or speak to a member of our reception team.