Covid in household but need stitches removed.

[Whataday21]

Hi, just wondered if anyone could advise on whether the GP practice would still remove stitches if there's covid in the household. I know last time we went they asked a million questions.

I'd ask them, they might decide it's best to leave the stitches in for a bit longer.

Ok, thank you. I thought we might have to remove them ourselves.

Definitely don't remove them yourself. Does the person with stitches have covid? If they haven't and have had a negative PCR then should be no bother

They don't have it yet!

Where are the stitches? It’s pretty easy to take them out. You can get stitch cutters on Amazon. But I suppose you should just wait or get advice from your GP surgery rather than Internet randoms!

Yeah, just wondering.

They're in his hip. They can't just stay there, or can they?

Just as their GP.

Don't volunteer any more information than necessary.

If they don't ask if anyone else has had covid, don't tell.

TBH, doctors need to start living with the same risks that everyone else has been getting on with for months...

as/ask

Can you request a nurse come out? Dh had medical and care visits while isolating as a close contact. Infectious person could remain upstairs during visit.

As long as they don't show any symptoms and are either double jabbed or under 18, they're free to live their normal lives. If it's a younger person or someone who needs a lift, then obviously whoever takes them has to be covid free as they should be isolating.

@puppeteer

Just as their GP.

Don't volunteer any more information than necessary.

If they don't ask if anyone else has had covid, don't tell.

TBH, doctors need to start living with the same risks that everyone else has been getting on with for months...

It's not about the doctor though is it really (although a GP won't remove stitches, it'd be the practice nurse). Use your brain. It's about the very clinically vulnerable people that the clinician will see next.

Can you request a nurse come out? Dh had medical and care visits while isolating as a close contact. Infectious person could remain upstairs during visit.

Awful suggestion. Isolating as a close contact is different from asking someone to enter a known covid positive household! Especially someone who's next patient may be extremely clinically vulnerable. I can't imagine there's anyway they would agree to that. It's not like it's urgent care that's required.
Leaving stitches in longer is fine, they're not going anywhere.

@PintOfBovril yes, this! It has never been about HCPs avoiding it for their own sake (although obviously we don't want them all off ill). Its about the people having pre chemo bloods, people on immunosuppressive drugs etc who will also need to use the GP! I despair of this narrative that GPs are somehow scared.

They’ll probably tell you to remove them yourself When DD’s fixed braces broke last year, I was told to fix them myself with some dirty pliers from my toolbox!

@puppeteer

Just as their GP.

Don't volunteer any more information than necessary.

If they don't ask if anyone else has had covid, don't tell.

TBH, doctors need to start living with the same risks that everyone else has been getting on with for months...

That’s terrible. Of course you tell them there is covid in the household/who has it and when so they can decide and work out how best to see them to keep everyone safe. You don’t want them sitting next to the patient on chemo in the waiting room. Just because the government says it’s fine now, it isn’t.

"Of course you tell them there is covid in the household"

Well, not really. When you give the information, you're probably talking to someone that medically trained. And of course, at least some of those folk will be spooked by the mere mention of covid, and they could act to keep you away.

So it's not that you lie. If asked, tell the truth.

But do think about who you are talking to, and also prioritise your own needs.

The practice will have procedures and checklists for receptionists such that patients are adequately triaged. And that will be sufficient to keep people safe. If it doesn't include questions about other family members, then that's because it's a risk that's mitigated by some other mechanism that perhaps you don't know about.

"Just because the government says it’s fine now, it isn’t."

It might not be risk free, but it is a risk that is well-understood, and is mitigated.

If they’re double jabbed and have no symptoms then they don’t have to isolate anyway, so can go and have their stitches out.

Even if you are double or triple jabbed you can still catch or pass on covid even if asymptomatic. Going to a surgery knowing you could potentially pass it on could cause that surgery to close down, deep clean and staff isolate then all patients would be stuffed.

True.

But same applies to people that have covid that you are close to (working with, friends, parents of children's friends, the list is endless these days...), but either don’t know, don’t test or don’t tell. They have to have mitigations because the virus is endemic. Can’t rely on patient declarations.

You can protect the surgery all you want off your own back. And it’ll make a difference — a small one. But the bigger difference is to you, because you miss out on treatment.

Each to their own.

But let’s get the advice to others right.