Llanfyllin Group Medical Practice is based in three separate centres. Our doctors, nurses, Health Care Assistants and other health care professionals provide a wide range of clinics and services to over 10,000 patients from our main purpose built site in Llanfyllin and routine appointments from our 2 branch surgeries situated in Four Crosses and Llanrhaeadr.

• All our premises are easily accessible with disabled access and parking facilities
• We offer all core NHS funded General Medical Services to our registered patients as well as a range of enhanced services.
• We also offer a range of private services and clinics (such as insurance medicals, private sick notes and certain vaccinations) that are not funded by the NHS.
• Please use our website to find out more about us and the health care services we offer, to obtain health advice and to see out latest news.
• We are constantly seeking to improve the service we offer to our patients and value your feedback and suggestions.

*CORONAVIRUS UPDATE*

For the most up to date information on the practice, please visit our Facebook page which is regularly updated. Visit us on Facebook

Update on COVID-19 Testing for Key (Critical) Workers in Powys: 13 May 2020

✅Are you a key (critical) worker in Powys?
✅Do you or someone in your household have COVID-19 symptoms?

You may be eligible for a COVID-19 Test at the new mobile testing units in the county.

Find out more at www.powysthb.wales.nhs.uk/coronavirus-testing

The Welsh Government key (critical) workers testing policy includes 8 broad categories of critical workers:

• health and social care workers
• public safety (emergency workers) and national security workers
• local and national government workers
• education and childcare workers
• food and other necessary goods
• transport
• utilities, communication and financial services workers
• key public service workers

 

More information about the Welsh Government’s approach to testing is available from their website at https://gov.wales/testing-coronavirus

‼️ IImportant Practice Update - COVID-19 08/04/20 ‼️

From Monday 6th April we will be changing the way the practice operates due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This means that all routine appointments will now take place at Llanfyllin main surgery and Llanrhaeadr branch surgery. 

All urgent triaged appointments will now be offered at Four Crosses branch surgery. If you had a routine appointment booked for Four Crosses surgery this week we will have contacted you either by telephone or letter.  We continue to separate out our urgent and routine work to ensure as much as possible we are protecting our elderly and vulnerable patients.

☎️ Appointments ☎️

If you are concerned you may have been affected by Coronavirus please go to the NHS Wales online symptom checker and only phone 111 if you are advised to do so.

All calls for appointments in the practice continue to be triaged. Please do not attend any of our surgeries without speaking to a clinician first.

Our trained receptionists will answer all calls initially and ask for a brief description of the problem. This is very important as it is needed to ensure you are directed to the most appropriate member of the practice team. A clinician will then telephone you back to discuss your request further with you and offer an appointment if appropriate.

If you are offered a routine appointment at Llanfyllin or Llanrhaeadr and you feel unwell on the day of your appointment YOU MUST NOT attend your appointment. Please phone our dedicated cancellation line and leave your message to cancel on 01691 649293📞

Minor Injuries Service

The minor injuries service remains open in Llanfyllin. This service operates between 8am and 18.30pm Monday to Friday. Please follow the signs at the front entrance of Llanfyllin surgery to direct you.

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Llanrhaeadr Surgery Update

From Monday 6th April Llanrhaeadr branch surgery will revert to its original opening hours of Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8.30am - 17.30pm. Closed Wednesdays

💊 Medication Collections 💊

We continue to offer a medication collection from all of our surgeries. Please help us by only collecting your medication on the day it is due for collection. The team handing out medication are unable to help with any queries or medication orders please phone your dedicated collection line for the surgery you collect your medication from:

🟩Llanfyllin - 01691 648259
🟨Four Crosses - 01691 649294
🟦Llanrhaeadr - 01691 649280

Medication Collection Times

Llanfyllin - 9-12pm and 2-6pm

Four Crosses - 9-12pm and 2-5pm

Llanrhaeadr - 9 - 1pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

 Collecting on behalf of someone else

It is understandable that patients will ask others to collect their medication on their behalf from the practice. To enable us to hand out medications safely and to avoid a wasted trip we will need to confirm a number of details when handing medications to the person collecting on your behalf. Therefore please ensure they have the following information:

• Patients full name 
• Patients date of birth
• Patients full address including postal code
• Details of the medication they are collecting for you
• Date your medication is due for collection

For those patients on the pre-order system you will be given a collection date each time you collect.

For patients who call to order medication please note that your order will be ready for collection 72 hours after the day of order, however if the item you request is not on your repeat list this may take up to 5 working days before ready for collection. 

Due to the unprecedented demand on our services, from Monday 23^rd March we suspended our remote delivery service of medication to the following locations:

• Llansantffraid SPAR
• Penybontfawr
• Llanwddyn
• Meifod
• Llansillin

🚫 Please note reception team members CANNOT help patients with medication queries. Calling reception to discuss medication can block our lines for patients needing urgent medical attention to get through to us. If your call relates to medication or checking if your prescription is ready please call our dedicated dispensary telephone lines above, leave your message and you will be called back. 🚫

‼️Important Reminders‼️

🟪Front doors:

All of our front doors remain closed at our surgeries. For medication collections please follow the signs at the entrance to the surgery to the medication collection point that has been set up for each surgery.

🟫 Patient Contact Details:

You will appreciate it is vitally important we can get in touch with patients at short notice. Please help us to contact you by ensuring we have your up to date contact details. You can update your details by visiting our practice website and updating your details there. Llanfyllin-gp.co.uk

🟥Dedicated Appointment Cancellation Line:

01691 649293

Telephone Lines:

As you will appreciate our telephone lines become very busy at times. Our team are working as hard as they can to get through the calls quickly but please help us by only phoning reception if you need to make an appointment and use our other lines.

✳ Self Isolation Notes ✳

The practice cannot provide self-isolation notes.

Please go to https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note if you have been told to stay at home because of coronavirus and you need a note for your employer

⚠️ General Coronavirus Advice:

For self-care advice please visit www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk

If you are temporarily staying in the area due to the Coronavirus outbreak and do not have enough of your usual repeat medication with you, there is advice that may help you in the prescriptions section of the website under the heading 'Repeat Medication Requests (Temporary Resident)'.  

💊 Volunteer Medication Collection Service 💊

Should you be unwell or in isolation and unable to collect your medication please contact Powys Community Connector Sheela Hughes who will be able to put you in contact with a volunteer from your area.

Please contact Sheela Hughes 07462 343149 or email sheela.hughes@pavo.org.uk

🏥 Patient Shielding Letters/Extremely Vulnerable Patients 🏥

Those patients identified as extremely vulnerable to coronavirus due to existing health conditions will be receiving a letter from Wales' Chief Medical Officer. The letter will provide shielding guidance which means staying at home for 12 weeks and taking other sensible measures.

Extremely Vulnerable - High Risk Individuals

If you are a patient in this category, you will have received a 'shielding' letter from the Welsh Government's Chief Medical Officer (Dr Frank Atherton) as you are considered extremely vulnerable. You should isolate at home for 12 weeks and not go out, as your immune system is greatly impaired.

What is in the shielding letter?

The shielding letter advises people to stay at home for 12 weeks and contains a range of further information and advice, including how those who have no-one else to support them can get medication and other essential items such as food. The Welsh Government has also published information on their website about support for extremely vulnerable people:

• https://gov.wales/get-coronavirus-support-extremely-vulnerable-person
• https://gov.wales/cmo-letter-extremely-vulnerable-people-support-explained

These links clearly state that if you are employed, this is proof that you will not be able to go to work while you are shielding and can be shared with your employer. If you are able to, you can work from home, if your job allows it. You will not need a fit note from the surgery.

The following is a list of those who are in the extremely vulnerable group who will qualify for a shielding letter from Welsh Government Chief Medical Officer in the High Risk Group.

1. Solid organ transplant recipients
2. People with specific cancers

• People with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer
• People with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
• People having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
• People having other targeted cancer treatments, which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
• People who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs

3. People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
4. People with severe single organ disease (e.g. Liver, Cardio, Renal, Neurological)
5. People with rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), homozygous sickle cell disease)
6. People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection
7. Pregnant women with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired
8. Children (up to the age of 18) with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired

Broader Vulnerable Groups - At Risk Individuals

You are considered to be an at risk individual if you are entitled to receive an annual flu vaccine. The Welsh Government will NOT have proactively contacted you and there is no plan at present to do so. You DO NOT need to stay at home for 12 weeks but should strictly adhere to the social distancing guidance

https://gov.wales/coronavirus-social-distancing-guidance.

This guidance encourages you to work from home if possible, but that will be a discussion between the you and your employer.

Broader vulnerable groups who should strictly follow social distancing guidance that are NOT being issued a shielding letter are those in the at Risk Group. This group has been identified to the public as those who are: 

1. aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions)
2. under 70 with an underlying health condition listed below (i.e. anyone instructed to get a flu jab as an adult each year on medical grounds)
3. chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
4. chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
5. chronic kidney disease
6. chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
7. chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
8. diabetes
9. problems with the spleen – for example, sickle celldisease or if you have had your spleen removed
10. a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
11. being seriously overweight (a BMI of 40 or above)
12. those who are pregnant

This wider group, who broadly speaking comprise the criteria of adults eligible for an annual flu vaccine, will not be proactively contacted but have instead been asked to take steps to reduce their social interactions in order to reduce the transmission of coronavirus.

Guidance on social distancing can be found here:

https://gov.wales/coronavirus-social-distancing-guidance

Practice updates:

We are aware many of our patients do not have access to Facebook or our website. We ask everyone to share the updates we are posting as much as possible in their local communities to ensure we reach as many patients as possible

Finally:

We wish to thank all of our patients, volunteers and local business for their overwhelming support and offers of help during this difficult time for us all.

We appreciate that we may not look and feel at the moment like we usually do but all of the temporary measures we have put in place are to ensure we can protect our most vulnerable and elderly patients and to ensure we continue to provide a dispensing service to nearly all of our 10500 patients.

We are here for you all as your GP Practice but we hope you understand we have to do things a little differently for a while.

Take care everyone

Llanfyllin Group Practice Team