Dorset doctors urgent appeal: Stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives.

Dorset, your NHS needs YOU.

To help save lives, stay at home. Anyone can spread coronavirus.

Our call to you comes as NHS services in Dorset are gearing up for changes to help people affected by the coronavirus and every hospital, NHS service, and GP practice is preparing as fast as we can to support our community.

All agencies in Dorset and nationally are working together to take all the necessary steps to contain and delay the spread of the virus and to ensure we are well prepared for increases in cases across Dorset.

We’ve been totally overwhelmed by the local support for the NHS and its staff – your support means so much. But we need your help further. 

We’d like to appeal to you personally to help your NHS frontline by staying at home. You can save lives.

The evidence for social distancing is overwhelmingly strong - the more we all do it, the more lives we can save.

Our plea to you now is to only leave your home for the following reasons: to shop for basic necessities to pick up medicine or to provide care to those who need it; to exercise once a day, alone or with members of your household.

Only travel to work when you absolutely cannot work from home. If you have to go out for any of these reasons always stay two metres apart. Do not meet others outside your household; even friends and family.

Please stay home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives.

• Dr Forbes Watson, Chair, NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group
• Professor Alastair Hutchison, Medical Director, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Karen Kirkham, Integrated Care System Clinical Lead & Assistant Clinical Chair, NHS Dorset CCG
• Dr Alyson O’Donnell, Medical Director, The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Stephen Tomkins, Medical Director, Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Matt Thomas, Medical Director, Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Clinical Directors in Primary Care in Dorset

Dr Ben Sharland, Central Bournemouth Primary Care Network

Dr Richard Jenkinson, Christchurch Primary Care Network

Dr Simon Rees, South Coast Medical Group

Dr Ash Savage, Bournemouth East Collaborative Network

Dr Yasser Karim, North Bournemouth Primary Care Network

Dr Stephen Morgan, Poole Bay & Bournemouth Primary Care Network

Dr Anne Elder, Wimborne and Ferndown Primary Care Network

Dr Simon Brown, Crane Valley Primary Care Network

Dr David Hogan, Poole North Primary Care Network

Dr Andy Rutland, Shore Medical

Dr David Broadley, Poole Central Primary Care Network

Dr Jenny Bubb, Mid Dorset Primary Care Network

Dr Simon Yule, The Vale Primary Care Network

Dr Rob Childs, Sherborne Area Network

Dr Madeleine Ford, Blandford Primary Care Network

Dr Tanya Stead, Weymouth and Portland Primary Care Network

Dr Andrew Finucane & Dr Danielle Farrell, Jurassic Coast Primary Care Network

Dr James (Jamie) Jackson, Purbeck Primary Care Network