Stretford Sports Village becomes COVID-19 'hot clinic'

Patients in Trafford developing stronger symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus could now be directed by their GP to a new ‘hot clinic’ in Stretford.

Currently, patients with mild symptoms are to stay at home and self-isolate but if people begin to feel more unwell with ‘moderate’ symptoms, doctors are now able to refer people to the drive-in ‘hot clinic’ at Stretford Sports Village (Stretford Leisure Centre) – where they can be seen face to face.

Set up by NHS Trafford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the service is for all patients registered with a Trafford GP who are ‘moderate, symptomatic’ COVID-19 patients who are referred there by their own GP following triage and assessment.

The service is provided by Mastercall – the provider of Trafford’s current out-of-hours’ GP service.

Dr Mark Jarvis, Medical Director at NHS Trafford CCG, said:

The service is designed to respond to the increasing volume of COVID-19 patients with moderate symptoms who require a face-to-face assessment and treatment.

To be clear, this is not a walk-in service. The existing patients being managed remotely by the GPs at home will continue as will the face-to-face assessment of mild symptomatic patients being looked after in practice.

The hot clinic will have a GP, and assistant, in full PPE who will assess those patients who have been having treatment from their GP but have deteriorated and now need a face to face assessment – or new patients who are moderately symptomatic.”

Councillor Jane Slater, Trafford Council Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Equalities, said:

This is a great service that will ensure people are being treated by the right doctor at the right time.

I am delighted that the Council has been able to help by providing the location for this service. Thanks also go to Trafford Leisure and Amey for their support in making this a reality.”

The Stretford Sports Village hot clinic, on Great Stone Road, opened today (Monday 20 April) and is in place should demand for face-to-face appointments increase. Many Trafford practices have opened their own ‘outdoor clinics’ but this provides an additional method to cope with demand.

How it will work in practice:

1. Patient being treated remotely by GP for possible mild COVID-19 symptoms
2. Patient deteriorates, or has moderate symptoms that can no longer be managed by the GP with remote-working and needs a face-to-face appointment
3. GP refers the patient to the ‘hot clinic’ with a secondary triage service and, if appropriate, provides the patient with an appointment
4. If appropriate, the patient is advised to go to the clinic at Stretford Sports Village
5. Patient verified on entry to the car park and drives to the clinic room
6. A GP would assess the majority of patients in their cars, treat and then discharge them with a care plan or send to an emergency department, if necessary.

The CCG has also commissioned a service which means that if GPs believe a house-bound patient is showing moderate symptoms, they can be seen at home. This is called the Trafford COVID-19 Acute Visiting Service.