An open letter to Nottingham and Nottinghamshire from your local NHS

Your local NHS is under the most strain we have ever seen – that’s why we need your help to avoid local services from being overwhelmed this New Year.

The best thing everyone can do to help is to keep physically and mentally well. That will help to avoid you and your loved ones needing hospital care in the first place.

Please also enjoy New Year responsibly – no-one wants to spend New Year in hospital!

If you do need to come to an Emergency Department, please expect a long wait to be seen.

Before coming to hospital, please remember that urgent care centres, pharmacies and NHS111 are all here to help when you need them. You can also find great advice by searching ‘NHS111’ online.

Thank you for your continued support,

Rosa Waddingham              Phil Bolton                             Michelle Rhodes
Chief Nurse                           Chief Nurse                             Chief Nurse                      
NHS Nottingham                  Sherwood Forest Hospitals    Nottingham University Hospitals
and Nottinghamshire

Ifti Majid                                 Dr Tim Noble
Chief Executive                       Executive Medical Director
Nottinghamshire Healthcare   Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals

What you can do to 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 – like the ones on London Road in Nottingham, Newark Hospital and Ilkeston Community Hospital – can help you get the care you need for dealing with the most common issues that people attend emergency departments for. They will often be able to help you get the care you need more quickly than accident and emergency departments if you are suffering from things like a burn or a sprain.
• 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 – see details of your local pharmacy here: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy
• 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/
• Anyone who is in mental health distress should call the Mental Health Crisis Line: 0808 196 3779 – the helpline is open 24 hours a day.
• We know that most patients want to return home as soon as possible, especially at this time of year. If your relative is due to be discharged from hospital and needs to be collected, please do so as early as possible. This will help our teams and free up a hospital bed for someone waiting to be admitted.