The Doctor Writes

A Tentative Opening at Bedwyn

It has been wonderful to see the front door of the surgery open as a first step to reopening. Patients who have a pre-booked appointment with a doctor, nurse or the blood pressure machine can come in and check in on the screen. You can now book telephone appointments via the online booking system and we encourage you to do this to help free up the phone lines. Anyone picking up medicines or wanting to speak to a member of the reception team please continue to go to the back window. Face to face appointments have been available throughout the pandemic based on clinical need following a telephone assessment with a doctor or nurse. Until it is safe, this, along with social distancing and mask wearing needs to continue. When it will be safe is uncertain and with the Indian variant spreading rapidly this is now likely to be beyond the 21st of June. Again, I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for your continued support, encouragement and thank you messages. We seem to be busier than ever with huge demand for appointments. In addition to providing routine, emergency and visit appointments, we are playing catch up from when the core services were suspended, delivering the vaccination programme and dealing with a large number of appointments generated from the online platforms such as DoctorLink. It is great to see so many of you using this online resource especially for minor illness symptoms and getting advice without contacting the surgery. Other excellent online resources are the NHS and Patient. info websites. If you require evidence of your vaccination status for travel this can be accessed from the gov.uk website and any queries about the vaccination programme can be found here or by contacting 119. Stay safe and well

Dr Angela Paddon and the team

The Old School Surgery

Doors still open for patients at Ramsbury

Since the Covid-19 pandemic reared its ugly head we have continued to offer medical care via alternative methods, telephone consultations, video consultations and face to face when necessary. Alongside this, we set up and are running the Covid Vaccination Programme for the local Primary care Network. Our Team have been absolutely fantastic working additional hours to staff the vaccination clinics alongside their usual hours within the Surgery. We have a wonderful team of staff and are so proud of what we have achieved over the last 12 months. Our doors have always remained open with Covid-secure measures in place to protect our staff and patients. Over the next couple of months we are moving towards offering more routine face-to-face appointments and restarting routine health services. We are limiting the number of people within the Surgery and at times you may be asked to queue or wait outside. We continue to monitor the latest guidance and will make adjustments when required. For all the latest updates please follow our Facebook page or check out our website at

ramsburyandwanboroughsurgery.com Alison Harrod

Practice Manager Ramsbury & Wanborough Surgery

Long Covid by Dr Noel AuYeung

As the Covid-19 pandemic wears on, more information on the long-term consequences of infection with SARS-CoV-2 is starting to filter through. One of these complications is the syndrome known as ‘Long Covid’ — where following infection with Covid-19,

some people go on to have persistent symptoms weeks, or even months after their initial illness. These symptoms can include (but are not limited to) fatigue, breathlessness, chest tightness, an abnormal sense of smell or taste, joint pains and problems with concentration. The chances of having long-term symptoms does not seem to be linked to how ill someone is when they first get Covid-19. Current data suggests that older people, women, and those who had five or more symptoms in the first week of becoming ill with Covid-19 are more likely to develop long covid. However, despite this emerging data, it is important to note that most people do make a full recovery within 12 weeks, and that recovery time is different for everybody. There are also many other medical problems that can cause similar symptoms to long covid, so if you are at all concerned about any symptoms you may have, please do make a telephone appointment to speak to a doctor. Finally, despite an excellent uptake for the Covid vaccines, it is important to remember to wear masks and to social distance, particularly if you are coming to visit the surgery. The vaccines do not guarantee 100% protection from Covid-19 and you may still be able to catch it (although the hope is that any illness is less severe than if you were unvaccinated). As mentioned above, the chances of developing long covid are not linked to how ill someone is when they first get Covid-19, and, unfortunately, this pandemic is not over just yet despite the easing of restrictions. For more information on Long Covid, please see the following websites: nhs.uk/

conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/longterm-effects-of-coronavirus-long-covid/

are yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/

Dr Noel AuYeung

Old School Surgery

Ramsbury Tennis Club

LTA South West Region Club of the Year 2017 Welcomes new members of all standards. We have the first artificial clay courts in Wiltshire! Sunday Club morning 10am; Please book to attend with Chris Wilson at

chriswilson61@icloud.com

For membership enquiries please contact Chris Snelling on 07887 550700 or at

cjsnelling@btinternet.com

WASTE PIPE GULLY SINK

DRAIN TOILET STACK PIPE

DM DRAIN MASTER DRAIN MASTER

Green Machines

an Eco-Business extending the life of garden machinery

Mower servicing & repairs Collection and delivery in Ramsbury, Aldbourne and Axford Call Pete Randall: 07774 711729

Residential Property Business Property Landlord and Tenant Company Dispute Resolution Employment Wills, Trusts and Probate Notarial Services

The Old School House, 42 High Street, Hungerford, Berkshire RG17 0NF T 01488 683555 E dhc@dhc-solicitors.co.uk