Coronavirus 'hot clinics' set up in Hartlepool and East Durham to help treat coronavirus patients still at home

However, the location of the treatment centre is not being revealed by Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) so that those given an appointment via a referral from their doctor attend, with anyone else who turns up to be turned away.

The clinics are held during the day and at weekends to help manage patients showing signs of COVID-19 but cannot be managed through a remote consultation and need to see a GP or nurse face-to-face.

The CCG has said it is part of the GP Extended Access services it commissions, which offer improved access for patients after 6.30pm and at weekends in Hartlepool, as well as Stockton and four sites across Middlesbrough and Redcar.

It is working with the providers of these services - Hartlepool & Stockton Health (H&SH) and ELM Alliance - to adapt services for patients and to offer additional support to GP practices in “such unprecedented times.”

A spokesperson for the CCG said of the hot clinics: “This approach supports the primary care workforce in delivering their responsibilities as a GP practice and ensures patients continue to have access to GP services throughout this pandemic.

“We are therefore condensing our current services to one site in each locality, and as these clinics will now be required to run alongside GP practices in core opening hours, we have moved these services out of practice premises and into their own sites to manage patients.

“Patients should still continue to access their own GP surgery by telephone or online who will determine the most appropriate treatment/consultation required.

“Access to the hot clinics will be through the patient’s own GP practice and ONLY following remote triage and if a face to face appointment is considered clinically essential.

“Patients must not turn up to these sites without a booked appointment.”

Similar clinics are due to the launched across County Durham to help patients as they are seen out in the community, freeing up primary care staff to support teams in hospitals.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

How to subscribe to the print edition:

It’s easy to subscribe to your local newspaper. We have arranged a special 20 per cent off subscription offer for people to take advantage of.

Visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk, choose the newspaper title, the type of subscription and enter your details.