The way GP surgeries operate in Kent and Medway is changing to help cope with the impact of coronavirus.

At the moment, if you are ill and need to see a doctor, you can call your local GP, who will try to help you over the phone or via video call.

But if the situation arises where you need to be seen in person, you can still go into the surgery or request a home visit for a consultation.

However, this is putting a strain on the NHS which is already overstretched. Many healthcare staff are having to self-isolate due to the pandemic and there is a worry not enough doctors will be able to work on site at GP surgeries soon, creating a problem for those needing face-to-face appointments.

To combat this issue, there will soon be a number of designated sites where patients will go if they must be seen in person.

These will be either 'hot sites' - facilities to assess and treat possible Covid-19 patients, or 'cold sites'- for those who don't have any symptoms of the virus, nor do any members of their household.

Cross-contamination and spreading of the illness through visits to the doctors will therefore be reduced.

These changes have coincided with the formation of the new Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Gorup (CCG), replacing the previous eight separate groups from today.

The new GP guidance is applied to all primary care networks across the county but the location of the hot and cold sites is yet to be decided, as well as staffing numbers required.

At the peak of the pandemic, it is estimated there will be 120-150 new patients per day per 60,000 people at hot sites. The current population of Kent is just under two million.

Remote consultations will be carried out when possible to minimise risk of transmission and staff at hot sites will be recommended to work shifts of no more than four hours, two times a week.

Hot sites will also be locked securely, with only patients with an appointment allowed in and they will also have an isolation area for those who become very unwell.

All online booking will soon be suspended to reduce the risk of potentially infected patients booking appointments and turning up at the surgery, and GP websites will display the NHS guidance on hot and cold sites.

Methods of prescribing are also being explored to minimise potentially infectious patients having to visit pharmacies.

Those who are suffering with coronavirus symptoms are still advised to call NHS 111.

Chair of the new Kent and Medway CCG, Dr Navin Kumta, said: "Wherever possible, the treatment centre will be established in an existing clinical building but this will vary across Kent and Medway.

"In some cases drive through facilities are being set up and buildings such as schools or leisure centres are also being used – providing they meet the criteria we have identified, which includes being easy to deep clean.

“We very grateful to everyone involved who has mobilised so quickly to put the new temporary arrangements in place."

Full details of the locations of each of the treatment, as well as opening times, will be available via the GP practices’ websites and kentandmedwayccg.nhs.uk once they are operational.

Doctor Julian Spinks, vice-chairman of Kent Local Medical Committee, added: "We are trying to centralise all services and share resources because smaller practices may not have enough staff to cope as the virus gets worse.

"Many doctors are still able to work but are self-isolating so can only do consultations from home."

He added: "The hot and cold sites will minimise the chances of cross-contamination as much as possible.

"It's still very early days and plans are changing daily, but this model is already running in a couple of other parts of the country and it should work relatively well, we hope."

Other changes Kent and Medway CCG has made in the wake of the coronavirus include increasing the number of critical care beds in hospitals, sourcing more beds in private hospitals, discharging patients sooner, postponing non-urgent surgery and establishing a central warehouse and distribution model for personal protective equipment (PPE).

In addition, hospital trusts are making temporary changes to the location of some essential services to free up space for coronavirus patients.

Read more: All the latest coronavirus news

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