First things first:
Keep safe.
A week into ‘Lockdown 2’, there are significant developments. Coronavirus levels in Birmingham are
high, so the need for all of us to observe the rules is vital to reduce risk of catching coronavirus. If you
had learned to bend the rules a little in July or August, please remember that the chance of being
caught by the virus is significantly higher now so please, please stick to the rules . Their purpose is
genuinely to protect you, your loved ones and the vulnerable.
Service update.
Last week we explained that the service is running as normal for patients with non-Covid conditions.
This remains true for services from the surgery. However, some local hospitals are cancelling some
routine surgery because of the surge in coronavirus cases. Do remember, most of their other routine
services are continuing. If you are waiting for an appointment and are not sure if your care has been
delayed, please ask the hospital for information as it is difficult for us to do this for all our patients.
The hospitals have information about their services and how to contact them on their websites:
University Hospitals Birmingham: https://www.uhb.nhs.uk/coronavirus-public
(Good Hope, Heartlands, QE, Solihull)
Sandwell and West Birmingham: https://www.swbh.nhs.uk/
(City, Sandwell, Birmingham and Midlands Eye Centre).
If your condition is worsening and you think your care is becoming urgent, please book a consultation
to discuss this with us.
Reason to be hopeful
Finally, the news of a working vaccine is a welcome ray of light for all of us. This good news
immediately throws up the enormous triple challenge of: vaccinating all the vulnerable people in the population, treating the second surge of coronavirus patients and maintaining normal services. Three
major challenges, all depending on one NHS workforce. As information about the vaccination
programme becomes clear we will keep you informed. We will need your help, patience and
understanding like never before, but if we all pull together we can see this through.
