Health and Care organisations across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are doing all they can to help residents get the care they need and ease pressures on NHS and healthcare services over the Queen’s Jubilee bank holiday weekend.
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG has arranged for extra General Practice appointments to be made available over the bank holiday weekend, which will be bookable via 111 online.
Residents are being urged to use 111 online with trained advisors able to book an appointment with a General Practice if it is needed.
Pauline Hand, Managing Director of NHS 111 for the local area, said: “We would urge people to use 111 Online for advice or call 111 if you need to speak to a health advisor with an urgent medical problem and you are not sure where the best place would be to get treatment for your concern.
“Our website and health advisors can help you to get a General Practice appointment, direct you to an Urgent Treatment Centre or your nearest available A&E and Pharmacy, they can also advise you on the best course of self-care if you have a mild illness, rash, or infection.
“The recent bank holidays saw almost a fifth of calls to 111 relating to repeat prescriptions so we would urge anyone needing medication over the Jubilee Weekend to order their repeat prescriptions now through their General Practice, pharmacy or NHS App. This will ensure you have enough of the right medicine well ahead of the weekend, enabling you to enjoy your weekend in the best of health.”
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire residents can also make use of the NHS App for access to a wide range of services and information, meaning that they don’t necessarily need to call their General Practice or wait on the telephone for an appointment – it can also save users time and avoid potentially travelling to their surgery when they could perform an action or receive advice digitally. Via the NHS App, residents can access their medical records, manage appointments, review medication and order repeat prescriptions as well as checking symptoms and tracking their own health.
The NHS App is a great source for health and care information and services, available in one secure place that people can access from the palm of their hand from a smart phone, or via the web if they prefer.
Alexis Farrow, Programme Director for Digital Notts said: “You can use the NHS App for a range of things such as getting access to trusted medical information, ordering repeat prescriptions, getting health advice by directly messaging your General Practice, and managing appointments.
“Residents in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire can also gain further access to their records, including results of tests and consultations by registering with Patients Know Best within the NHS App. You can also answer questions through the 111 function on the NHS App to find out which medical service is most appropriate to use, without the need to speak on the telephone.”
Residents are reminded that if you have symptoms of Covid-19 or have tested positive, please stay at home and away from others for at least five days (if over 18 or three days if under 18) to avoid passing on the virus. If you feel unwell and need medical advice please use 111 online or call 111.
Members of the public can also help ease pressures by using their local pharmacy. Pharmacist, Robert Severn, said: “Pharmacies can help with things like allergies, constipation, headaches, ear aches and many other ailments. We are here to help and are happy to advise on any of these things. Please visit your local pharmacy to get advice. Remember that it is a four- day bank holiday from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June, so please also remember to order your prescriptions in time for any medication you may need.”
Many pharmacies are open over the bank holiday weekend, you can find opening hours for your local pharmacy over the Bank Holiday Weekend here – https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy.
General Practices are open as usual during the week commencing 30 May up to and including Wednesday 1 June and then open again as normal on Monday 6 June. During the bank holiday weekend if you use 111 online or call 111 they will be able to book you an appointment with a GP or other clinician if you need one. The local NHS has arranged for extra General Practice appointments to be available over the bank holiday weekend to avoid the need for people to go to A&E.
Clinical Leader of NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG, Dr James Hopkinson said: “We know it is difficult for people if they feel ill over the bank holiday and don’t know where to turn, which is why we are advising people to go to 111 online or call 111 if they are unsure, as they will be able to advise you or even put you in touch with a medical specialist who can help.
“I would like to thank colleagues across the system who are working this bank holiday. We are all pulling together to make sure that we are providing the best possible care for our patients in a timely way and we would urge people to use 111, use their pharmacy or visit their urgent treatment centre if urgent but not life threatening to ensure they get the best and most timely care possible this weekend.”
As we visit friends and family we know minor accidents can happen. Urgent Treatment Centres on both London Road behind the BBC building in Nottingham (open 7am – 9pm daily) and at Newark Hospital (open 9am – 9:30pm daily) can treat sprains and fractures that happen when falling off a bike or suffering from a burn. Urgent treatment centres are open at least 12 hours a day, every day and offer appointments that can be booked through NHS 111 online. They are equipped to diagnose and deal with many of the most common ailments people attend our emergency departments for, so please consider using them if it is not life threatening.
Partners across the Integrated Care System are also working closely together to ensure timely discharges of people who no longer need to be in hospital.
Cllr Linda Woodings, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health in Nottingham City, said:“Many people are looking forward to a well-earned longer bank holiday weekend, but we know that this will be a busy and challenging few days for our health and social care services across Nottingham.
“Our NHS, council teams and care providers will be working hard to ensure that people with the most urgent needs get the help they need, when they need it the most. Please help them over the bank holiday by doing all you can ease the pressure they will be facing. If you need medical help, call 111 to get advice on where best to go and only call 999 in an emergency. Many pharmacies are also open this bank holiday. If you have symptoms of Covid-19, continue to stay home and reduce the spread of the virus to other people. It is vital that we all work together to do everything we can to take care of ourselves and others.”
