The Evening Times ran an article about figures in a new report showing that women from Lanarkshire experience higher-than-average rates of stillbirth and neonatal deaths than other parts of Scotland. The region recorded the second-highest rate in Scotland with 6.42 deaths per 1,000 births. However it is worth noting that the figure of 7,096 Lanarkshire resident […]
A&E isn’t always the answer
NHS Lanarkshire is encouraging people to consider the alternatives to accident and emergency (A&E) so they don’t visit busy emergency departments for inappropriate reasons.
After a summer of unseasonably high demand on A&E services, NHS Lanarkshire is urging people to only attend hospital emergency departments if they require urgent, and immediately necessary, treatment.
There are a range of other services in the community where patients can get appropriate medical help – including GPs, out-of-hours service, dentists, pharmacists and community opticians – who can provide advice and treatment for a range of minor illnesses. In addition, people can often treat themselves at home.
Seeking treatment in the right places will ease pressure on services, help reduce waiting times and counter the potential spread of infections in emergency departments.
Frances Dodd, NHS Lanarkshire acute divisional nurse director, said: “NHS Lanarkshire’s acute hospitals have been experiencing unseasonal demands on their time. We would encourage all members of the public who are considering attending the emergency departments to only do so if appropriate.
“There are alternative opportunities within our communities where people can be supported and given advice, and we would encourage the public to use these at a time where the emergency departments and our community services are working together to support as many of our acutely unwell patients as we possibly can.”
Gabe Docherty, director of public health for NHS Lanarkshire, added: “Hospitals are extremely busy all-year round where staff are dealing with life-threatening emergencies like strokes and heart attacks. Patients can get appropriate medical help and advice from a range of other services.
“Pharmacists are available on your local high street and are trained clinicians who can provide expert advice and guidance on the best treatments.”
The NHS Lanarkshire website has a ‘Meet the experts’ guide to the range of services that local healthcare professionals across Lanarkshire provide. The pages give information and advice on self-care, which is often the quickest and easiest route to feeling better when you are ill, as well as details on how to access national services like NHS Inform and NHS24 https://www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/kwttt/
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