Right care in the right place this winter

The way urgent care is accessed has changed. This is so that people get the right care in the right place and to keep everyone and the NHS safe this winter.

If anyone thinks they need to visit the emergency department (ED), but it is not life-threatening, the NHS 24 telephone service on 111 is available day or night to provide advice and direct callers to the service that can best supports their needs.

During normal opening hours, people should still call their GP practice, or get help online from a wide range of information and resources on by visiting www.nhsinform. scot

This will help to get the right care in the right place, often closer to home and without the need to go to ED. In emergencies, people should continue to call 999 or go directly to the ED.

Dr Crawford McGuffie, medical director and ED consultant, explains: ‘Our ambition is to further improve services for individual citizens and for our communities.

‘We aim to support our citizens to get the right care at the first attempt. We also want to allow people to plan their care where possible and to further improve their experience of healthcare.

‘Covid-19 has also made us all aware that it can be risky to attend overcrowded places and this allows health and care services to plan with a greater degree of certainty so that we do not expose patients and staff to increased risk.

‘As a result of the global pandemic, how we provide services has had to change. This is so that we can keep you and the NHS safe. During this busy winter period, this is more important than ever.

‘NHS Ayrshire and Arran was fortunate to be a ‘pathfinder’ board for this new way of accessing urgent care, and so the new patient pathway has been running in Ayrshire and Arran since November 3.

‘The pathway was rolled out across Scotland at the beginning of December and some of our local learning has been used to inform this rollout.

Dr McGuffie added: ‘With the current pandemic, NHS services are under more pressure and are busier than ever. You can help us keep you and our NHS safe by using our services wisely.’

For more information, visit www.nhsaaa.net/ right-care-right-place