Frome Medical Practice is today reminding patients that whilst they remain open and available to support them, visits to the Frome Medical Centre without a pre-existing appointment are discouraged.

Practice Manager Karen Creffield said, "We've had fantastic support from the local community since coronavirus first hit us in March. But it's easy for us all to slip back into old habits and we are seeing an increasing number of patients attending the practice without an appointment. We wanted therefore to remind patients of the measures we currently have in place to protect both staff and patients from COVID-19."

The practice asks patients to bear in mind the following if they need an appointment:

• If possible, please use the online booking service. This is available for appointments such as flu vaccinations, cervical smears and warfarin blood tests (INR). Online booking is also available for GP triage calls though these will generally need to be booked by 8am on the day an appointment is needed. Patients need to be registered to use the online booking service – more information is available here https://www.fromemedicalpractice.co.uk/register-to-use-online-booking
• If you cannot use the online booking service please call 01373 301301 to speak to a care navigator. Our phone lines are exceptionally busy at the current time so please be patient when calling. It is generally quieter after 2pm if your call can wait until then and you aren't phoning about a GP call back for that day.
• Please do not attend the practice without an appointment.
• Please use our online system or email for repeat prescriptions. Further information available here https://www.fromemedicalpractice.co.uk/order-a-repeat-prescription

• Where possible, please attend appointments on your own. If you need additional support to attend an appointment please come with no more than one other person.
• Please wear a face covering when attending the practice, unless you are exempt.
• Please arrive as close as possible to your appointment time and no more than ten minutes before you are due to be seen. If you arrive early we may ask you to wait outside until closer to your appointment time.
• We cannot offer toilet facilities in the medical centre unless you are here for a face to face appointment.

Coronavirus vaccine

The practice has also had patients asking about the potential coronavirus vaccine, which is very much in the news at the moment. They advise that at the present time firm timescales on availability, delivery and how the vaccine will be administered are not available. As soon as all of this is confirmed it will be shared via the practice website and social media platforms, as well as the local press. Patients who are eligible for the vaccine will be contacted. Until then the practice asks that patients don't call them regarding this matter.

Karen added, "We recognise we are asking patients to do things in a slightly different way at the moment, but we really appreciate your support with this. We are still in a pandemic and as such we need to reduce the number of people in the practice wherever possible, so we can continue to offer care in a safe way to those who need it."