Don’t visit A&E with toothache

People in Forth Valley are being urged to use the Emergency Department at Forth Valley Royal Hospital wisely over the winter period.

They have been asked not attend with minor, non-urgent health issues which can be dealt with by other health services.

As NHS staff gear up for one of the busiest times of year they are still regularly seeing people turning up at the emergency department with coughs and colds, viral infections, earache, dental problemssuch as toothache, constipation and chronic ailments such as back pain.

Most of these do not require a trip to the emergency department and instead patients should either seek advice from NHS inform, speak to a pharmacist or contact their dentist or GP.

NHS Forth Valley’s medical director Andrew Murray said:“Winter is a particularly busy time for the NHS and we would ask people to think carefully before turning up at the emergency department. This means those who really need hospital care can be treated as quickly as possible. We can sometimes have more than 200 patients a day presenting at our Emergency Department. Anyone who turns up with a serious illness or injury will always be given priority however others with less serious issues may face longer waits.”

The dedicated nurse-led Minor Injuries Unit at Stirling Health and Care Village will remain open every day over the festive period from 9am until 9pm. It can treat adults and children over the age of one for cuts and grazes, minor burns, sprains and strains. It can also treat minor eye and ear injuries and X-ray and treat a number of limb injuries (including suspected broken ankles and wrists).

A small number of pharmacists in Forth Valley will be open for short periods of time on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and January 2 – details are available on the Winter Zone of NHS Forth Valley’s website www. nhsforthvalley.com/ winter. Under a new scheme called Pharmacy First, all chemists in Forth Valley are now able to provide free treatment for a range of common conditions without a GP prescription. These include urine infections, conjunctivitis, skin conditions and thrush.

GP practices will be open as normal on Monday, December 24 and Monday, December 31 and will only be closed for two days at Christmas and two days at New Year. Details of local health services, including pharmacy opening times over the festive period, can be found at www. nhsforthvalley.com/ winter.