Patients urged to go to A&E only in emergencies
Other treatment paths available to help ease pressure
NHS Lanarkshire is appealing to residents to “help alleviate pressure” on its stretched resources as emergency department attendances reach record levels and social care is prioritised to assist the most vulnerable.
Health board officials are asking people to “keep emergency departments for those who need critical care” and ensure they use the right service at the right time – including making use of community services such as pharmacies, optometrists, NHS 24 and online resources.
A combined total of 18,645 patients were seen at Lanarkshire’s three accident and emergency facilities during May, representing an 11 per cent rise on the previous month.
The upward trend has continued ever since, with casualty departments seeing well over 4000 patients every week since then, reaching 4698 in the week ending June 6.
Dozens of planned operations have been cancelled this month, and Lanarkshire’s health and social care partnerships have announced an enforced “move to critical service delivery – prioritising our services for the most vulnerable [and which] will result in discussions with service users and their families and carers about reductions in care packages where it is safe to do so”.
Judith Park, who is NHS Lanarkshire’s director of acute services, said: “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 are putting additional strain on services and resources.
“Our health services are open and we are here if needed. 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.
“Attendances at emergency departments are at record levels, with some people attending with mild and minor conditions.
“Our A&E department is for only those who have a lifethreatening 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.”
She added: “In June we saw our highest number of emergency department attendances and we are finding that moving forward, it is likely to be very fragile from a staffing point of view across the whole system.
“Accident and emergency is for critically unwell patients. Those who have a range of other conditions can be seen by other providers – treatment rooms can be accessed through an appointment system and will help with things like sunburn, minor abrasions and cuts.”
Ms Park also directed residents to the out-of-hours service which operates weekends, holidays and from 6pm to 8am on weekdays, and to NHS 24, pharmacies and online resources.
She 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, and 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 for urgent health advice that can’t wait until your GP is open.
“GPs continue to provide vital services and 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.”
On pharmacies, she added: “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.
“An example of when to use online resources includes those with sunburn or heatwaverelated conditions who can access the NHS Inform website for advice, or if they need to seek medical attention call NHS 24 on 111.”
Lanarkshire residents are also being asked to “be ultraresponsive to phone calls from hospitals” after instances of medics being unable to connect with named contacts which has caused delays to patients being discharged.
Marianne Hayward of South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership said: “I 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 health and care colleagues, and 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 immediate dialogue can really slow up the discharge process, at a time when we require to take all action possible to ensure we have sufficient capacity for the most acutely unwell patients.”
Speaking about the hardworking staff battling through the “incredibly difficult” circumstances, Ms Park added: “All our staff continue to work extremely hard to ensure 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.
Attendance at A&E are at record levels, with some people attending for mild and minor conditions