Karen Howell, chief executive of Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, writes for the Globe.

WHAT a busy couple of weeks it's been since my last column.

We've had the NHS 72nd birthday, which we were delighted to celebrate with the installation of a living floral heart so generously gifted to us by Oxton based florist, Nicola Saverimutto.

My sincere thanks also to all of the local businesses for their support in making it happen; Arrowe Security, Arfon Rewinds Limited, the team at Bradshaw Electrical, Elerbanks, the staff at Elixir in Oxton, Steve McKay from McKay A & S Ltd and Savi Property Development.

The beautiful floral sculpture is at the front entrance of St Catherine’s Health Centre. If you have an appointment at the health centre in the next couple of months be sure not to miss it.

Following the gradual easing of lockdown measures, I have certainly noticed more people are out and about with lot of businesses opening their doors for the first time in months.

It is so important however, to remember that the on-going risk of infection remains so please continue to take all the necessary and recommended precautions.

Social-distancing, hand hygiene and face masks have become part of the 'new norm' and it is important that we all include these simple steps into every element of our daily lives to ensure we protect ourselves and our families.

Here at Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, we are working hard to plan the phased reopening of those services we had to stop or partially step down during the height of the pandemic.

Over the next few weeks services will begin to open their clinic doors, increasing the number of patients we can see with more face-to-face appointments where we need to.

Our number one priority is to keep you and our staff safe and we want your visit to any of our services to be the best it can be.

We have, therefore, made some changes to our clinic areas and buildings and introduced guidance that we ask you to follow.

When attending your appointment, it's important to follow these steps:

  • Wear a face covering when entering any of our clinic buildings
  • Gel your hands on entering the building and on arrival in the clinic waiting room
  • Keep a two-metre distance from other people in the building
  • Come on your own (exceptions apply)

You will also notice that our clinic areas look and feel different; areas will seem quieter as there are less people in the building, all patients/visitors and staff will be wearing face coverings, you'll see hand gel stations dotted around and we're recommending you use these at every opportunity.

We want to make your visit to any of our services as safe as possible.

Please do not attend your appointment if you have a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste or have been asked to self-isolate.

For more information visit the NHS website www.nhs.uk

Keep an eye out on our website and Twitter feed @wchc_nhs for further information about the phased reopening of our face-to-face clinics and services and remember, Stay Safe, Stay Well.