Information for the public

Please use the links below to find out more:

Important Information

We have put temporary measures in place to ensure the safety of all patients and NHS staff. These include:

  • Taking the difficult decision to suspend visiting at our hospitals. There some exceptions to this, please see our news item for more details. 
  • If you are attending our hospitals for any reason then please be sure to read our guidance for visitors before attending. Key points include:
    • Outpatients and visitors must wear face masks when in one of our hospitals. These will be provided upon entering. Please note: if you have a known latex allergy please ensure you bring a face covering with you.
    • Car Parking charges are currently suspended for patients and staff
    • Closing some of our public entrances to our hospitals (note: staff are still able to get through with access codes)
  • We have created a supplementary coronavirus Privacy Notice to explain how we may use your information during the outbreak to protect you and others
  • The country is currently using an Alert system for COVID-19. You can check your area by visiting the GOV.UK Website. The GOV.UK also supply helpful posters to explain what the alert levels mean for the public.

Coronavirus Health information

Please use the NHS website for general health information about coronavirus and when to seek medical help.

Do not leave your home if you have coronavirus symptoms

Do not leave your home if you have either:

  • a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
  • a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
  • a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of smell or taste (anosmia)

To protect others, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Stay at home.

Use the 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do.

Managing Recovery

NHS: Your COVID Recovery
Chartered Society of Physio Therapy: COVID-19 Road to Recovery
Animated YouTube Video
Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation

After Being in a Healthcare Setting

After being discharged from A&E or a GP consultation: Coronavirus Information
After being discharged from a hospital stay: Coronavirus Information

Coronavirus Testing Information

What to do if you think you have coronavirus

If you have any of the following symptoms, you must get a test and self-isolate:

  • a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
  • a new, continuous cough – this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly
  • a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

You should not go to your GP, pharmacy or hospital. If your symptoms are serious, or get worse, NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need further medical help and advise you what to do. You can also call NHS 111 direct.

Where can I go for testing?

If you have coronavirus symptoms, you should get tested. All testing sites operate on an appointment only basis – please do not attend without an appointment. Appointments can be booked via the NHS online booking system or by calling 119.

When booking, you will be shown a list of the nearest places to go for your test. You will need to get a test done within 8 days of developing symptoms. On days 1-7, you can get tested at a site or at home. If you’re ordering a home test kit on day 7, please do this by 3pm. On day 8, you will need to go to a test site.

Some useful links:

Help and Support

  • NHS Every Mind Matters: Staying at home tips
  • Young Minds: Looking after your mental health while self isolating
  • NHS Mental Health Helplines
  • Samaritans – visit their website or call for free on 116 123. You can also email Jo@samaritans.org or write to Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK, PO Box 9090, STIRLING, FK8 2SA.
  • Anxiety UK – visit their website or call 03444 775 774 (Mon-Fri, 9.30am 5.30pm)
  • OCD Action – visit their website or call 0845 390 6232 (Mon-Fri, 9.30am – 5pm)
  • Shropshire Council Emergency Duty Team: 0345 678 9040
  • Shropshire Council website: a dedicated area for mental health with helpful links to local services and further sources of information
    Shropshire Mind: Free anxiety, stress and wellbeing sessions workshops, delivered by Shropshire MIND using the Zoom video conference app. The sessions are open to everyone in a light and non-pressured way, allowing you to participate as much or as little as you want, and to focus on how we manage stress, understanding mental health and how to focus on our own personal wellbeing. Sessions are being hosted three days a week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 3pm-4pm, and Thursdays 4pm-5pm. Click here to join the meeting.  Meeting ID: 850 4372 1339              Password: 799957

e-library and audio books

  • Calibre Audio is a charity which lend free audiobooks for anyone who is print disabled
  • You can join an online library to access e-books, magazines and audiobooks: Shropshire e-Library

Telford & Wrekin

Shropshire

Powys

Young Carers

Helpful information to answer questions from children:

Advice for Families on Co-Parenting

Maintaining relationships

Information for Children and Young People

Exercises for People with Disabilities:

  • If you feel isolated and need someone to talk to or need practical help: Campaign to End Loneliness
  • Age UK have a 24 hour chat line: 0800 4708090
  • Age Cymru is offering a check in and chat telephone service for the over 70s in Wales who live alone: 0800 223 444 or online.

Measures announced to help limit the spread of Coronavirus include people staying at home wherever possible. However, there are some circumstances in which help and support may be needed. No matter what the circumstances are, there is never an excuse for domestic abuse.

Staying in touch

Whilst it is a difficult time due to coronavirus and there are restrictions in place which prevent you from seeing family and friends who may be receiving treatment and care within the hospital, there are ways you can stay in touch or let them know that you are thinking of them.

Telephone or Video Call

There is free NHS WiFi available across the Trust. If the person you care about is in hospital and they have a mobile phone or tablet with them then you can contact them by telephone or video call. Another option is to record a message for them which they can listen to or watch.

Send your loved one a message

You can contact a patient through our ‘send your loved one a message scheme’.

Send a Comfort Pebble

If someone you care about is being treated for coronavirus then you can send them a comfort pebble to let them know that you are thinking of them. Comfort pebbles have been introduced to enable the person you care for to have something that they can hold and keep close to them as a reminder of their family and friends who are thinking of them. CLICK HERE TO SEND A PEBBLE.

Video Call

Links for how to stay in touch using:

WhatsApp:

If you can’t find the resources you are looking for they may be available through Health Education England, information is frequently added from trusted sources and has sections tailored for children and young people, older people, people who require information in accessible formats:  https://library.nhs.uk/coronavirus-resources/

Healthwatch Shropshire wants to know how the current pandemic is affecting people in Shropshire, their well-being, how they are finding useful information, how they are being supported, what helps them cope and how their experience of health and social care has been affected. You can read more and take the survey on the Healthwatch Website.

National Voices is a group of over 150 charities supporting people with physical and mental health problems and disability. They are collecting feedback of peoples personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. If you would like to share your experience anonymously please visit their webpage ourcovidvoices.co.uk

Changes to visiting

We have taken the difficult decision to suspend visiting at our hospitals. There some exceptions to this.  You  can read more about this below:

If you are visiting our hospitals for any reason then please be sure to read our guidance for visitors before attending. Key points include:

  • Outpatients and visitors must wear face masks when in one of our hospitals. These will be provided upon entering. Please note: if you have a known latex allergy please ensure you bring a face covering with you.
  • Car Parking charges are currently suspended for patients and staff
  • Closing some of our public entrances to our hospitals (note: staff are still able to get through with access codes)

Changes to parking

All car parking charges are currently suspended for all patients and staff

Changes to Operations and Appointments

In line with well-established plans for situations like this, every hospital in England has now been asked to suspend all non-urgent elective operations, with some other procedures likely to be rescheduled before then so we can train our staff and adapt certain areas.

Urgent and emergency cases and cancer treatments will be carrying on as normal, but we know many people waiting for treatment will be disappointed or worried, and we will be contacting everyone affected as soon as possible.

If you have an appointment, please assume this is still going ahead unless you have been contacted by the team. If you have any queries about attending your appointment please contact us through the number on your appointment letter. When attending an appointment, please make sure you regularly use the hand gel provided in the corridors and waiting areas and please respect social distancing rules wherever you are able to.

Information for pregnant women

Information for pregnant women, including frequently asked questions, is available on our maternity services page.

Information in other formats & languages

Signal: local help and support

Advice in BSL: Daily updates provided by the Deaf Health Charity Signhealth

NHS 111 Symptom Checker with British Sign Language Interpretation  

Government information

Every Mind Matters, top ten tips:

Bengali
Gujarati 
Polish 
Punjabi 
Romani 
Romanian 
Russian 
Somali 
Urdu 

An introduction to coronavirus
Coronavirus information

Books beyond words are books with no text – they have no language barrier, and can be easier to understand. The books can be used by the images alone or through looking at the images with someone who shares the story with you. The books help the person to tell the story in their own words and start discussion on what is seen.

Want to Help?

An incredible amount of people have messaged us with kind offers of support, including food, accommodation and donations. This support is invaluable to us. If you think you can help, then please email us at we.supportsath@nhs.net – please include details and any contact information and a member of the team will get back to you.

PPE
If you/your company would like to donate or help with PPE then please visit our dedicated PPE Page.

Latest news