keith.williams

During the Covid-19 pandemic, people who work in health and care services and the voluntary and community sector across the South West have offered new choices to patients and the public, for example, by making more use of online and telephone appointments. We would like to know what you think about these new ways of working to help us understand how we can best meet the future needs of the people living in our region. Please share your views by completing this questionnaire. It should take between ten and fifteen minutes. The information you provide will be used by health and [...]

Ahead of the partial relaxation of lockdown rules this weekend, NHS partners in Dorset are reminding people where to get help if they need it. If you or someone you are with has an emergency or is in a life-threatening situation, don’t hesitate call 999. For everything else, call 111 or go to 111 online. Pharmacies, minor injuries units, and hospital emergency departments are all available for people who need them, but access to some services may be different than in the past. Some minor injuries units and Weymouth’s Urgent Treatment Centre will be open, but by appointment only. You can [...]

Patients needing to travel to Covid-19 related appointments, or routine essential NHS appointments are being supported by an interim transport service which uses specially adapted vehicles to enable social distancing.  This Non-Emergency Patient Transport service is now available to patients who may not have met the eligibility criteria for the service before Covid-19. The vehicles being used to provide this service have been partitioned, crews and patients will use provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves and vehicles will be cleaned between patient journeys.  These measures have been put in place to ensure that patients can be kept [...]

Local safeguarding partners are asking children and young people to #TellSomeone if they feel unsafe on Childhood Day which takes place on Friday 26 June. Vanessa Read is Director of Nursing and Quality with NHS Dorset CCG and represents health on the Pan Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership (PDSCP). She said “The current situation can prove challenging for many people, not least of all children and young people as they may find it hard to access their usual support systems and speak to people who they can trust such as teachers, friends or extended family. On Childhood Day we want to get [...]

People across the country are facing new challenges as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak. Many are taking on more caring responsibilities for their relatives and friends who are disabled, ill or older. We want to recognise the difficulties these carers are experiencing and provide the help, understanding and support that they need. So during Carers Week - 8 - 14 June 2020, we're coming together to help make caring visible. Local carers support organisations will be holding virtual coffee mornings, workshops, poetry writing events for carers this week.  They will also be available for telephone chats and online coffee and [...]

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing, GPs throughout Dorset have been asking people to consider alternative ways of contacting them in order to help reduce the spread of the virus amongst local communities and minimising their own personal risk. This has included online, video and telephone remote consultations along with eConsult - an online system which enables patients to complete a confidential online form which is then sent to their GP practice who will respond by 6.30pm the following day to offer advice, provide a prescription or an appointment if necessary or arrange for referral to [...]

Clinicians in Dorset are urging parents to attend regular vaccination appointments with their children in order to protect their health and reduce the risk of outbreaks of serious diseases. Essential, routine vaccinations like the MMR jab can save a child’s life and are available through family doctors. As long as those attending appointments, including parents of babies or children, do not have symptoms or are not self-isolating because someone in the household is displaying symptoms, all scheduled vaccinations should go ahead as normal. Dr Sam Abdollahian is a GP in Dorset and a named GP for safeguarding with NHS Dorset CCG. [...]

NHS services are #HereForYou for you this coming Bank Holiday Monday with people being urged to get the help they need despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there may be different ways to access services pharmacies, minor injuries units, and hospital emergency departments are all available for people who need them. Weymouth’s Urgent Treatment Centre and minor injuries units (MIUs) at Bridport, Shaftesbury, Swanage and Wimborne hospitals are still running, but by appointment only. Please call your local MIU, 01305 762541 or 111 and you will be given advice or booked in for a face-to-face appointment at the appropriate site. You can [...]

A new campaign from the local Pan-Dorset Safeguarding Partnership asks children and young people to #TellSomeone if they feel unsafe. The campaign will take place across a range of social media channels, targeting different age groups from primary school upwards, telling them to tell someone they trust or call national charity Childline if they feel unsafe in their environment during the current lockdown conditions. A spokesperson for the partnership said “It can be hard for children and young people to understand what is going on at the moment as virtually every aspect of their daily routine has changed. “For some children [...]

Whilst we will be going ahead with the Governing Body meeting on Wednesday 13 May we will be minimising any potential risk to those involved, staff and members of the public by minimising visitors and using video conferencing across sites rather than hosting the meeting in one site. We are happy to consider questions and will be publishing the papers and minutes as usual on our website for those people who were planning to attend.