Welcome to University Health Centre & Whitley Villa Surgery
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IMPORTANT NOTICE
Notice for patients
COVID-19 and your information – Updated on 8th April 2020
Supplementary privacy notice on Covid-19 for Patients
This notice describes how we may use your information to protect you and others during the Covid-19 outbreak. It supplements our main Privacy Notice which is available here
https://www.readinguniversitymedicalpractice.nhs.uk/website/K81605/files/Privacy%20Notice.pdf
The health and social care system is facing significant pressures due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Health and care information is essential to deliver care to individuals, to support health and social care services and to protect public health. Information will also be vital in researching, monitoring, tracking and managing the outbreak. In the current emergency it has become even more important to share health and care information across relevant organisations.
Existing law which allows confidential patient information to be used and shared appropriately and lawfully in a public health emergency is being used during this outbreak. Using this law the Secretary of State has required NHS Digital; NHS England and Improvement; Arms Length Bodies (such as Public Health England); local authorities; health organisations and GPs to share confidential patient information to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak. Any information used or shared during the Covid-19 outbreak will be limited to the period of the outbreak unless there is another legal basis to use the data. Further information is available on gov.uk here and some FAQs on this law are available here.
During this period of emergency, opt-outs will not generally apply to the data used to support the Covid-19 outbreak, due to the public interest in sharing information. This includes National Data Opt-Outs. However in relation to the Summary Care Record, existing choices will be respected. Where data is used and shared under these laws your right to have personal data erased will also not apply. It may also take us longer to respond to Subject Access Requests (SARs), Freedom of Information requests (FOIs) and new opt out requests whilst we focus our efforts on responding to the outbreak.
In order to look after your health and care needs we may share your confidential patient information included health and care records with clinical and non-clinical staff in other health and care providers, for example neighbouring GP practices, hospitals and NHS 111. We may also use the details we have to send public health messages to you, either by phone, text message or email.
During this period of emergency we may offer you a consultation via telephone or video conferencing. By accepting the invitation and entering the consultation you are consenting to this. Your personal/confidential patient information will be safeguarded in the same way it would with any other consultation.
We will also be required to share personal confidential patient information with health and care organisations and other bodies engaged in disease surveillance for the purposes of protecting public health, providing healthcare services to the public and monitoring and managing the outbreak. Further information about how health and care data is being used and shared by other NHS and social care organisations in a variety of ways to support the Covid-19 response is here.
NHS England and Improvement and the NHSX have developed a single, secure store to gather data from across the health and care system to information the Covid-19 response. This includes data already collected by NHS England, NHS Improvement, Public Health England and NHS Digital. New data will include 999 call data, data about hospital occupancy and A&E capacity data as well as data provided by patient themselves. All the data held in the platform is subject to strict controls that meet the requirements of data protection legislation.
In such circumstances where you tell us you’re experiencing Covid-19 symptoms we may need to collect specific health data about you. Where we need to do so, we will not collect more information than we require and we will ensure that any information collected is treated with the appropriate safeguards.
We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time so please review it frequently. The date at the top of this page will be amended each time this notice is updated.
Whitley Villa Surgery will be closed from the 23rd of March until further notice. The University Health Centre will remain open.
If you have an urgent medical need, please contact the surgery by phone on 0118 9874551.
DO NOT COME TO THE MAIN SURGERY WITHOUT CONTACTING US BY PHONE FIRST
In light of the Coronivarus, we are no longer booking face to face GP appointments in advance. We can provide you with a telephone call to deal with your medical concern. Please call our reception team who will assist you with this.
Please ask for your prescriptions to be sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice to avoid needing to come to the practice in person.
Do not visit the practice without calling beforehand and being advised you can do so. Do not come to the practice to ask questions of our staff on the front door, this is an unnecessary risk to staff and to you. Any necessary questions, please phone the practice.
These steps have been taken to reduce footfall and to protect all our patients.
Link for vulnerable people in Reading https://www.reading.gov.uk/coronavirussupport
Link for vulnerable people in Wokingham http://citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk/coronavirus/
Wellbeing Newsletter 26th March
Wellbeing Newsletter 16th April
Wellbeing Newsletter 23rd April (Please note there is a correction for page 5 of the newsletter- the mobile number listed for Reading Community Learning College should be: 07923 138 681)
STOP!
Do not enter the medical practice if you think you have been in contact with coronavirus.
Visit NHS 111 online for advice or call NHS 111
NOTICE TO PATIENTS - ONLINE BOOKING OF APPOINTMENTS - THIS FACILITY HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED - ALL APPOINTMENTS NEED TO BE MADE VIA PHONE. PLEASE CALL 0118 9874551 BETWEEN 8AM AND 6.30PM
INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS REGARDING
Coronavirus COVID-19
CORONAVIRUS - FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS
ANY CONTACT WITH CORONAVIRUS OR TRAVELLED FROM AT RISK COUNTRY. DO NOT COME TO THE SURGERY VISIT 111.NHS.UK OR CALL NHS 111 FOR ADVICE
Returning travellers
Call NHS 111, stay indoors and avoid contact with other people immediately if you’ve travelled to the UK from:
Category 1 countries or areas:
- Hubei province in China in the last 14 days, even if you do not have symptoms
- Iran, South Korea, all of Italy if returned since the 9th of March, even if you do not have symptoms
- other parts of mainland China or South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan or Thailand in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath (even if your symptoms are mild)
- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar or Vietnam since 19 February and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath (even if your symptoms are mild)
Category 2 countries or areas:
All travellers who develop relevant symptoms (for example respiratory symptoms, shortness of breath, cough, fever) however mild, within 14 days of returning or transitioning from a category 2 country or area - Cambodia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam should not attend the practice, but should remain at home and immediately call NHS 111 for advice. (For China and Republic of Korea, some areas come under category 1).
Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.
Minor Illness Appointments​
Doctor's appointments are available for more complex, ongoing conditions only.
For minor illness appointments, for conditions such as a chest infection, urinary tract infection, tonsillitis, sinusitis etc please call the surgery on 0118 9874551 to arrange an appointment with a member of our minor illness team. Please note that our appointments are monitored to ensure they are booked in with the appropriate clinician. If you book an appointment with a doctor and the condition is deemed to be minor illness, we will make every effort to contact you to advise you when your appointment has been re-booked with one of our highly trained clinicians but please bear in mind, that we may not always be able to contact you to let you know we have done this before you arrive for your appointment.
GP Online Service
Have you tried out the new facility for online health advice via Patient Access? Patients can check symptoms and be signposted to web-based information about their condition. The Online Health Advice feature gives access to a wealth of medical information including articles and videos.
By filling in a simple health enquiry form, patients can read information on how to treat their symptoms and what to do next. The form will then come through to the surgery who will review the information provided and respond within 48 hours. If the information provided by the patient indicates an urgent need for medical attention, they will be directed appropriately.
How does it work?
Sign into or register for Patient Access at www.patientaccess.com. Search for your symptoms or condition and select the results that match.
Read through the relevant health information and guidance tailored to your results. Once you’ve read the advice, if you still need help, submit the details through the online form and a relevant staff member at the surgery will review it.
They will then advise if you need to contact elsewhere (999, NHS 111 or your pharmacy) based on your symptoms.
The University Health Centre 9 Northcourt Avenue Reading Berkshire RG2 7HE Tel: 0118 9874551 | Whitley Villa Surgery 1 Christchurch Road Reading Berkshire RG2 7AB Tel: 0118 9874551 |  
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We are confident that our website will provide clear and concise help and give our patients the information they require in an easy and convenient format. It has been designed with the patient’s needs at the forefront of everything, from checking surgery times to letting us know what you think of us.
Serving You
Our dedicated team are here to treat those minor ailments that occur as well as providing specialist management of long-term conditions and clinics covering a wide range of healthcare issues. The technology also means you can now do a lot of things from the comfort of your home such as order a repeat prescription or cancel an appointment.
Partners in Care
Once registered, patients and healthcare professionals work together to ensure the most appropriate care is provided. This partnership philosophy extends even further and our active patient group exists to make sure that patient needs and the practice offering are always heading in the same direction.
Practice Leaflet
Download our practice leaflet here
(Site updated 14/05/2020)