Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Advice, information and guidance about Coronavirus (Covid-19).

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News stories linked to Covid-19.

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Today is International Long COVID Awareness Day

Today is International Long COVID Awareness Day

Today (15 March) is International Long COVID Awareness Day. Now in its second year, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the symptoms of Long COVID, and the NHS support available to those suffering from the condition.

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It’s not too late to get your Covid booster!

It’s not too late to get your Covid booster!

If you’re living in Gloucestershire and haven’t yet taken up the opportunity of a Covid booster, our Outreach Vaccination and Health team and local pharmacies are offering drop-in vaccination clinics to those who are eligible.

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Last chance to get your spring Covid booster

Last chance to get your spring Covid booster

Throughout Spring 2023 our Outreach Vaccination team has been offering boosters to those at highest risk of severe illness from Covid-19. The vaccine offers added protection if Covid rates are high over the summer months and reduces people’s chances of needing hospital treatment if they do catch the virus.

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Information from other local organisations

Visitor information

Please click here to see our latest update about visiting.

Mental health and wellbeing

Looking after your mental wellbeing has never been more important. There are lots of sources of help and information.

 

Coronavirus specific information

General mental wellbeing

Useful information and resources

Information for carers
Covid-19 Privacy Notice
Last updated: 28/01/2021
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.

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, Freedom of Information requests 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 including 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 or email.

During this period of emergency we may offer you a consultation via telephone or videoconferencing. 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 NHSX have developed a single, secure store to gather data from across the health and care system to inform 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 patients 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.

NHS Digital has agreed to share with GHC :

  • NHS Number
  • Date of Birth
  • CCG Name and ODS Code

for patients on the Shielded Patient List  who are resident in our geographical area for the purpose of supporting GHC to identify and ensure that those patients recently under their care who were advised to shield are receiving optimal care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We may amend this privacy notice 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.

Service Changes

Minor Injury and Illness Units

Revised locations and opening hours.
Find out more here.

IV Therapy

No service changes

District nursing
  • Clinical triage and consultations to be done via telephone, or video call when available. 
  • Face to face consultations will take place where clinically necessary for patients with urgent, complex needs. 
Community Occupational Therapy
  • Clinical triage and consultations to be done via telephone, or video call when available. 
  • Face to face consultations will take place where clinically necessary for patients with urgent, complex needs. 
  • Referrals have been suspended for long term, non-urgent needs. 
Reablement

No service changes

Wheelchair Assessment Service
  • Routine appointments suspended
  • Telephone consultations (or video when available) will be offered for advice and guidance
  • Face to face consultations will take place where clinically necessary for patients with urgent, complex needs. 
  • Wheelchair repairs will continue
Telecare Services
  • Triage will take place via the telephone
  • Urgent need only – this includes equipment fault/fixes, replacements and hospital discharge
  • Routine appointments suspended
  • Consultations to be done via telephone, or video call when available. 
  • Face to face consultations will take place where clinically necessary for patients with urgent, complex needs. 
Physiotherapy and hand therapy
  • Triage by telephone
  • Routine appointments suspended
  • Consultations to be done via telephone, or video call when available. 
  • Face to face consultations will take place where clinically necessary for patients with urgent, complex needs. 
  • Group classes suspended.
MSKAPS

Service suspended. 

Podiatry - acute
  • Routine appointments suspended
  • Clinical triage and consultations to be done via telephone, or video call when available. 
  • Face to face consultations will take place where clinically necessary for patients with urgent, complex needs. 
  • Diabetes patients identified by a consultant diabetologist will be supported. 
Podiatry - Community
  • Routine appointments suspended
  • Clinical triage and consultations to be done via telephone, or video call when available.
  • Face to face consultations will take place where clinically necessary for patients with urgent, complex needs.
  • Foot wound care will be provided within the integrated community teams.
Adult speech and language therapy - Acute
  • Routine communication outpatient service is suspended. 
  • Head and neck cancer service will continue
  • Support to valve changes (laryngectomy) will continue
  • Inpatient dysphagia service will continue
  • Stroke rehabilitation service will continue
  • Inpatient rehabilition which is essential for discharge will continue.
Adult speech and language therapy - community
  • Routine communication service suspended
  • Clinical triage and consultations to be done via telephone, or video call when available.
  • Face to face consultations will take place where clinically necessary for patients with urgent, complex needs.
  • Diabetes patients identified by a consultant diabetologist will be supported.
  • Work with urgent dysphagia patients will continue.
Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC)
Accessibility