‘There are things everyone can do to help’ – health bosses urge public to help NHS deal with pressures as critical incident is declared

The local healthcare system in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire continues to face sustained pressures and health bosses are asking for the public’s help as we head into the New Year Bank Holiday.

We are continuing to see high numbers of patients arriving at our hospitals, high demand for all services across the system, extended waiting times to access beds within our hospitals and difficulties in discharging patients as well as the rise in Covid-19 and flu cases. As a result, a critical incident has been declared to help prioritise and maintain safe services for patients.

Stuart Poynor, Deputy Chief Executive at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, said: “The NHS is open for business and our services are there for anyone who needs them but we are prioritising patients with the highest level of need, particularly those requiring urgent and emergency care.

“There are things everyone can do to help, and we are asking people to use our services wisely and to think about self-care as an option for some conditions, such as coughs and colds, before automatically going to the NHS for help. If self-care isn’t an option, then choosing the right service will help patients to get the right treatment first time and usually more quickly – 111 online is a great resource to help with that.

“We are expecting the New Year bank holiday to be particularly busy so we are asking people to plan ahead around important things like repeat prescriptions but also to think about how they can support our health and social care system at the busiest time of the year. One way the public can help is by supporting our NHS teams to get your relatives home from hospital if they are medically fit to leave.”

Here is how you can help:

• Only call 999 or attend A&E departments for serious accidents and for genuine emergencies.
• When you need urgent medical care but it’s not an emergency, please visit NHS 111 online or call NHS111 for advice on how to get the care you need at any time of day or night.
• Urgent Treatment Centres treat injuries including sprains, strains, suspected fractures, bites, cuts, scalds and other non-emergency conditions. Waiting times are usually much shorter than A&E. We have UTCs at:
  • Nottingham – The NHS Urgent Care Centre (next to the BBC building) is open every day from 7am-7pm. You don’t need an appointment to attend. Seaton House, London Road, Nottingham, NG2 4LA Tel: 0115 883 8500
  • Newark – Newark Hospital is open 9am-10pm (last patient admitted at 9.30pm). It can be found on Boundary Road, NG24 4DE
  • Ilkeston Community Hospital – is open 8am – 8pm. It can be found on Heanor Road , Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8LN. You can book into this service via 111. For other non-urgent cases, when you need medical advice and it’s not an emergency, please speak to your GP practice or a pharmacist.
• Use the NHS App for access to a wide range of services and information, such as accessing medical records, booking and managing appointments, reviewing medication and ordering prescriptions as well as checking symptoms.
• Flu and Covid-19 are currently circulating in the community, so stay at home if you have symptom and get your jabs if you are eligible. More details about how to get your flu and Covid-19 jab can be found here – Flu vaccine – NHS (www.nhs.uk) and here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/how-to-get-a-coronavirus-vaccine/

• Members of the public can also help ease pressures by using their local pharmacy. Pharmacies can help with allergies, constipation, headaches, earaches and many other ailments. Many pharmacies are open over the Christmas and New Year break, you can find opening hours for your local pharmacy here – https://www.england.nhs.uk/midlands/nhs-england-and-nhs-improvement-midlands-work/bank-holiday-pharmacy-opening-times/#nottinghamshire

• GPs are open as usual on Tuesday 3 January 2023 – please check your General Practice website for opening times for the period between Christmas and New Year

We are grateful to everyone who has taken steps to help, and we would like to thank our incredible teams across the health and social care sector for their efforts in keeping the public safe.

For more information on non-urgent healthcare options in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, please visit: https://notts.icb.nhs.uk/your-health/urgent-treatment-centres-utc/