Hospitals across Lanarkshire are experiencing a significant increase in the number of patients being admitted with Covid-19 with the number of cases doubling over the last two weeks.
This is now resulting in increased admissions to our hospitals and we expect a further surge in admissions as a result of the relaxation of restrictions over the Christmas holiday weekend.
We are asking the public to have a quiet New Year period and follow the guidance for Tier 4 areas over the next couple of weeks. Please support us by following all the guidance on social distancing and not mixing with other households and follow FACTS.
By following FACTS: wear a face covering; avoid crowded places; clean your hand regularly; keep a two metre distance and self-isolate and book a test if you have symptoms, the public will be supporting their local hospital and helping to reduce hospital admissions.
We also need the public to access the right healthcare service for their illness by calling NHS 24 on 111 for advice and only attending emergency departments for life threatening emergencies.
Strict infection control measures are in place to reduce the risk of infection across University Hospital Wishaw (UHW), University Hospital Hairmyres (UHH) and University Hospital Monklands (UHM) and our staff are working extremely hard to look after all the patients in our hospitals.
However, as the number of patients continue to be admitted to we need the public to support us by reducing the transmission of COVID-19, particularly as the new strain has now been identified in Lanarkshire.
Dr Jane Burns, medical director, NHS Lanarkshire said: “We are currently dealing with a high number of Covid-19 patients across our hospitals which continues to cause severe pressure on our resources.
“The safety of our patients and staff is of paramount importance and we continue to take all necessary action to ensure safe and effective patient care.
“We would like to remind the public that it is vitally important we all follow Scottish Government guidance, especially in relation to FACTS.
“By following FACTS: wear a face covering; avoid crowded places; clean your hand regularly; keep a two metre distance and self-isolate and book a test if you have symptoms, you will be supporting your local hospital and helping to reduce hospital admissions.”
We are also asking the public to access the correct healthcare service for their ailment by contacting NHS 24 on 111 who will direct them to appropriate service for their needs. This not only protects our emergency department staff to treat patients with life threatening illnesses but will ensure people are seen, treated and either discharged home or admitted to hospital.
Our GP Out of hours’ service, minor injury units and local pharmacies are all available to provide care and treatment for non-life-threatening ailments.
Lise Axford, Chief of Nursing Services, University Hospital Hairmyres added: “We want to remind people to stop and think before they go to A&E. There are lots of other qualified experts in our community who can safely advise people more quickly on many health conditions.
“It is extremely important that we help people access the right help, at the right time and we keep A&E free for emergencies. We’d advise anyone who is feeling unwell to visit the NHS Inform website for advice on self-care in the first instance, and the NHS 24 111 phone service can provide urgent health advice 24 hours a day every day.”
“The current number of cases in all our hospitals serve as a stark reminder of the need for all of us to be vigilant and comply fully with the current COVID guidance. This is all the more important as levels of COVID infections are also high within the communities we look after.
“Anyone visiting any of our hospitals is required to wear a mask and to use hand sanitizer on entering and leaving the hospital.”
Please access the following links to hear message from Lise Axford, Chief of Nursing.
