NHS plea to use 999 and A&E responsibly

The NHS is urging people to only dial 999 or attend A&E for emergency or life-threatening health conditions over the festive period.

The call comes at a time when NHS services in the region are even more stretched. Staff work extremely hard, around the clock, to provide health care and it is important that those who need emergency care can access it.

The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) is reporting an increase in demand as winter pressures take hold.Last weekend, NEAS call handlers took an additional 731 calls to 999 over Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as more than 2,200 NHS111 calls.

The service received more than 300 calls relating to breathing difficulties, road traffic collisions and falls, all of which increase at this time of year.

Over the whole weekend, 2,281 patients received an ambulance, of which 623 patients were treated on scene or referred to another provider without the need for a visit to A&E.

On the last Friday before Christmas last year, NEAS attended 501 incidents of which 94 were alcohol related. There were around 250 more calls on that Friday night in comparison to a normal Friday.

Last New Year’s Eve, the service took 1,376 calls between 6.00pm and 6.00am and attended 636 incidents of which 159 incidents were related to alcohol.

Simon Swallow, strategic head of resilience and special operations at North East Ambulance Service, said: “The Christmas and New Year period is one of the busiest times of the year, not just for us but for the whole of the NHS. You can help us by only dialling 999 for medical emergencies.

“We want everyone to have a good time, but please don’t ruin your fun this Christmas and New Year by ending up in A&E.

Examples of medical emergencies include chest pain, breathing difficulties, unconsciousness, severe loss of blood, severe burns, choking, fitting, drowning and severe allergic reactions.

“We would particularly like to remind people that we are not a taxi service. We receive a lot of calls at this time of year from people who want a lift home. That call could stop someone who genuinely requires an ambulance from being able to get through to us.”

NEAS is now preparing for a busy weekend, which will be followed by having to cope with additional pressure over next week, particularly on Boxing Day, December 27 and New Year’s Eve.

This year the NHS is providing hundreds of extra GP appointments across the region at evenings and weekends. These are bookable by contacting GP practices in the usual way or by calling NHS 111 outside of normal hours.

Members of the public are being asked to seek advice from a high street pharmacist as soon as they start to feel unwell. Many common winter illnesses including coughs, colds and upset tummies will clear up with self-care - resting, drinking plenty of fluids and taking over the counter medication.

People should also stock up their medicine cabinets and make sure they collect their prescriptions in good time for the festive break.

NHS England’s medical director, Professor Chris Gray, said: “It is really important that people listen and act on our plea to only attend A&E departments for emergency and life-threatening conditions. There are options available for non-emergency health conditions, such as seeing a pharmacist for confidential and free advice, seeing a GP and good self-care.

“Our NHS staff work incredibly hard to provide health care and we need to use our health services responsibly. I would like to thank all NHS staff working over the festive period. Your commitment and dedication to the care of others is very much appreciated.”

Norovirus, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting, is one of the most common stomach bugs in the UK. It's also called the winter vomiting bug because it's more common at this time of year. The highly contagious bug has already caused a number of ward closures throughout the region and national figures show the number of cases is rising steadily.

The NHS is appealing to people to avoid visiting relatives or friends in hospital if they have symptoms of norovirus.

Professor Gray added: “Most people will recover from the bug within a few days, but will remain carriers of the virus for some time after symptoms have disappeared. For hospital patients, who can often be more vulnerable due to existing illness or injury, the bug can have a more serious impact on their health.

“If you are feeling unwell, or actually have diarrhoea or vomiting, please don’t come into hospital as a visitor for at least 48 hours after the last symptom has disappeared.”

The key symptoms of norovirus are suddenly feeling sick, projectile vomiting and watery diarrhoea. Some people also have a slight fever, headaches, painful stomach cramps and aching limbs. The symptoms appear one to two days after you become infected and typically last for up to two or three days.

People should stay at home, keep warm and drink plenty of fluids. They should call, rather than visit, a GP. There is no specific treatment for norovirus and antibiotics won't help because it is caused by a virus.