NHS Lanarkshire is calling on the people of Lanarkshire to play their part by turning to the right place at the right time to help alleviate the pressures on resources ahead of the weekend and beyond.
Earlier this week, NHS Lanarkshire highlighted the sustained and unprecedented pressures across the three acute hospitals and issued a plea for the public to keep emergency departments for those who need critical care, while Lanarkshire’s health and social care services took the decision to prioritise urgent care for the most vulnerable.
Here, NHS Lanarkshire director of acute services Judith Park highlights six things the public can do to help by accessing the right healthcare service over the weekend and the coming weeks.
Judith said: “Our health services are open and we are here if needed. All services in the community, GP surgeries and hospitals are currently operating differently and at different capacities due to infection prevention and control measures which is putting additional strain on services and resources.
“We must work together to make sure you get the right care, in the right place, at the right time by the appropriate health professional for your needs.”
- A&E department
Attend A&E for life threatening emergencies such as chest pain, strokes, serious bleeding and breathing issues.
Judith said: “Attendances at emergency departments are at record levels with some people attending with mild and minor conditions. Our A&E department is for those who have a life-threatening emergency.
“If you think you need to attend A&E but it’s not life-threatening, call NHS 24 on 111 day or night, where you will be directed to the right NHS service.”
- Out of hours service/NHS 24
People can also access the NHS Lanarkshire out of hours (OOH) service when your GP surgery is closed, and you or your family member is too ill to wait until it reopens, by calling NHS 24.
All of NHS Lanarkshire’s out-of-hours calls are handled by NHS 24. The service is open from 6pm to 8am during the week and 24 hours a day during weekends and on public holidays.
Judith said: “The out of hours service is not for routine appointments. An NHS 24 advisor will assess your symptoms and advise you what to do next. If you need to see a doctor or other health professional, this will be arranged for you.
“NHS 24 is available day or night but out of hours services are only for urgent health advice that cannot wait until your GP practice is open.
“Your GP practice continues to provide vital healthcare services. GP practices have increased their use of remote consultations by video or phone with most people receiving the care and advice they need from their own home.
“Patients will still receive a face-to-face appointment if this offers additional clinical benefit, for physical examination or if tests need to be carried out.”
- Your local pharmacy
In this past year, community pharmacies have undertaken over 1.5 million NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service consultations which offers easy access to healthcare advice and treatment in the local community by making use of the skills and knowledge of the community pharmacy team in managing minor ailments and common clinical conditions.
Judith said: “There are lots of qualified experts in the community who can safely advise you. Your local pharmacy is your first port of call for minor ailments such as sore throats, diarrhoea or constipation, indigestion, athlete’s foot, aches and pains as well as help with your medicines.”
- Online resources
There is a wide range of resources available online. Use the NHS Inform website to access advice on common symptoms, guidance for self-help and where to go if further medical care is needed.
NHS Lanarkshire’s Meet the Experts guide offers a range of services that local healthcare professionals across Lanarkshire can provide. You can go directly to the right healthcare professional for the help you need when you need it.
Judith said: “An example of when to use online resources includes those with sunburn or heatwave related conditions who can access the NHS Inform website for advice, or if they need to seek medical attention call NHS 24 on 111 where they will be directed to the right service.”
- Be ultra-responsive to phone call from hospitals
There are some recent incidents where hospital staff have been unable to get through to a patient’s named contact, with delays in some calls being returned which, in turn, can cause a delay to the patient being discharged from hospital.
Marianne Hayward, interim chief officer of South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “The vast majority of families and carers of inpatients are instinctively very responsive – so I appreciate this plea may seem abundantly obvious.
“I also realise there could be various reasons for the delay in a minority getting back to us, but it’s crucially important to us everyone plays their part.
“Please be ultra-responsive to any contact from my colleagues in health and care. If you do miss a call please return it, at the number left on the voicemail message, as a matter of absolute urgency.
“It may seem like a small thing but not having that responsiveness and immediate dialogue can really slow up the discharge process. This is at a time when we require to take all action possible to ensure we have sufficient capacity for the most acutely unwell patients.”
- Finally, be kind
Judith said: “All our staff continue to work extremely hard to ensure that patients are seen and treated as quickly as possible. The majority of the public continue to be very supportive of staff. Sadly, however, we are seeing a minority of people engaging in behaviours and attitudes that are completely unacceptable.
“Any form of violent or aggressive behaviour towards our staff, be it verbal or physical, will not be tolerated. We’d plea to people to keep bearing with us and please be kind to our staff and colleagues who are committed to caring, no matter the circumstances.”
Note to editors
You can access a video of Judith talking about pressures on our services and what the public can do to help here. An audio file can also be downloaded here.
