SPC has been sent the following information from the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board:
The long Easter weekend, coupled with four days of planned industrial action by
junior doctors immediately afterwards, has prompted an urgent call to the public to
support their NHS in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire.
Urgent and emergency health care teams in the region are expected to be extremely
busy over the bank holidays, as families and friends come to the region for their
holidays and as many GP practices, pharmacies and other non-urgent services
traditionally close or amend their hours.
Local people can play their part in helping to reduce unnecessary demand by using
these services only when the need is genuine, and by knowing what other help is
available, such as 111 online and community pharmacies.
Dr Amanda Webb, Chief Medical Officer, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon
and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, said: “The actions of the public, even those
which may seem small, can collectively make a big difference to the NHS during
these periods of high demand and intense pressure.
“The support we’re calling for will help our already-stretched frontline teams to
continue to provide essential care and treatment for those most in need before,
during and after Easter.”
People in need of care over the coming days are asked to seek help from NHS 111
online, which can give person-specific advice on possible treatment options and,
where necessary, make referrals to other nearby NHS services.
Similarly, the HANDi app, which is available for free on the App Store and Google
Play, can help parents and carers to treat common childhood illnesses, such as high
temperatures and diarrhoea and vomiting, safely at home.
Some pharmacies across the region will be open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday
and Easter Monday, and these can be used without an appointment for emergency
prescriptions, medication advice and private consultations for minor injury and
illness.
Supporting loved-ones to leave hospital when they are well enough to go home or to
their place of care is another way in which people can help others to get the care
they need.
Andrew Hollowood, Chief Medical Officer at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS
Foundation Trust, said: “Home is the best place for people to recover, and when
patients leave hospital, it means we have more beds available for those who really
need them.
“The support of patients’ friends and family is invaluable in helping to speed up
discharges, and relatively small actions, such as getting groceries ready, collecting
prescriptions or providing a lift, can really cut the time it takes for someone to return
home.”
Further details on local health and care services, including Easter opening times for
all the region’s pharmacies, can be found online in the Your Health section of the
BSW Together website, www.bswtogether.org.uk.
BSW ICB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram also provide regular information about
local services and health care help.
You can download a high quality video clip of an interview with Gill May, Chief Nurse of Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board to accompany the above information.
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsNNrmg9fQ8
Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board is a statutory
organisation that is responsible for developing a plan of how to meet the health needs of the
local population, managing the local NHS budget and arranging the provision of local health
services