COVID-19 Information

If you think you might have COVID-19

Call NHS 111 or visit https://111.nhs.uk/service/COVID-19/

Isolating Queries?

All the information you need is on the NHS-111 site.  https://111.nhs.uk/service/COVID-19/

Test and Trace

Information about NHS Test and Trace may be found here

Staying alert and safe (social distancing)

You can find the government’s latest guidelines here

Shielded Patients

You can find the latest information  and guidelines on shielded patients here

This is small category of patients who due to a medical condition are considered extremely high risk and should have been sent a letter from NHS England advising them to stay at home.  This letter has gone out to patients who have a medical condition such as leukemia, have had an organ transplant or are undergoing treatment such as chemotherapy which means there is a very high risk of dangerous complications should they catch COVID-19. The letter stresses how important it is that these patients isolate for 12 weeks – not even go shopping or to a pharmacy and should minimise contact with everyone including household members where possible.

We have been contacted by patients wondering why they are or why they are not on the list and have a dedicated member of staff, Cathy,  who will do her best to help where possible. We are now able to add patients to the list but only if they fulfil the conditions required by NHS England. If you feel you are in this very high risk group but have not received the letter, it may be better to follow the strict 12 week guideline regardless. In addition to the advice on isolation, the letter also provides an option to request help and assistance while isolating.

However, even if you are not on the list of shielded patients but require help with shopping or collecting your prescription from a pharmacy, you may still be able to access assistance by contacting the local hub.

The local hub is South and Vale, the number is 01235 422422 – option 1.

Local Volunteer Groups

Henley

Henley Covid-19 Mutual Aid group
Email: Henleyc19aid@gmail.com
Website: www.henleymutualaid.org.uk
Co-chair Kate Keaveney 07538 217794

Henley Volunteer drivers 01491 572923
Offering to collect medication from pharmacies for patients in isolation
Email: michaelhollas@aol.com

Nomad-Henley (Foodbank) 01491 635737

Shiplake

E-mail: Covid-19@shiplakevillages.com
Overall coordinators Joanne Stone 0118 9406665
And Kate Oldridge kateaoldridge@gmail.com

Binfield Heath

Binfield Heath volunteer coordinator, Amanda Jennings 07799 038492

Hambleden

Information about residents to contact for assistance is on the Parish Council website: www.hambleden.org.uk

Other useful numbers

Council support line:
01865 897820 (High risk vulnerable)
01235 422600 (everyone else)

Age UK Oxfordshire (telephone service for the elderly) 01865 411288

Mental health advice helpline (run by Oxford Health NHS Foundation)
01865 904997 (Adults)
01865 904998 (Children & young people)

COVID-19 and your information 

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

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.