THERE will be many of you this week looking forward to going shopping again and trying to introduce some of those 'day to day' activities we were all so used to doing a few months ago.

For many industries and sectors, life has been on hold since March and they are now adapting to new ways of working and looking after the safety of customers.

As an NHS Trust, our work never stopped.

You have clapped for us every week for ten weeks so I know you understand and appreciate the NHS and the work is has done and continues to do every day in response to COVID-19.

As a community provider of NHS health and social care services we have continued to see and treat people in their own homes and in clinics every day, prioritising the most vulnerable and the most high risk patients.

We have continued to provide vital services, community nursing, specialist nursing, therapy services and social care, supporting people to stay well, independent and in their own home wherever possible during the crisis.

We have introduced new and innovative ways of providing care, for example; the introduction of video consultations across many services.

These have proved to be popular with our patients who have continued to receive high standard of quality care in the safety and comfort of their own homes.

Safety is paramount, and for those people who we need to see for a face to face appointment, we are introducing some changes in line with recent recommendations from the World Health Organisation. These new measures here at the Trust are to keep our patients, service users and staff safe.

As of yesterday (Monday, June 15) anyone attending an appointment in our health centres and clinics will need to wear a face covering before coming into the building.

If you are coming to an appointment, it is important that you wear a face covering at all times. This is for your safety and the safety of other patients, service users and staff.

Face coverings can be cloth and/or homemade, and advice on how to wear and make one can be found on the Government website.

Face coverings worn as part of religious beliefs or cultural practice are also acceptable, providing they are not loose and cover the mouth and nose.

We are asking that you plan in advance and bring a face covering with you whenever possible, but if you do not have one available when you come to your appointment, please see a member of staff on arrival and they will provide you with one.

If you are currently shielding and have been provided with a surgical face mask for your appointments, please continue to use this.

If you have not been provided with a surgical face mask, you should wear a face covering.

For some people, wearing a face covering may be difficult due to physical or mental health conditions.

In these instances, other measures will be considered on a case-by-case basis and prior to your appointment.

If you are deaf or have a hearing impairment, our staff have a range of communication options to ensure that they can communicate effectively with you.

We ask all our staff and visitors to continue to follow the existing social distancing and hand hygiene measures in addition to the face coverings while in any of our clinical settings.

We can all play a role in reducing the spread of coronavirus and keeping each other safe.

Thank you.