Public Health Minister Maureen Watt MSP visited NHS 24 yesterday to see how Scotland’s unscheduled care and health information service is preparing to support thousands of patients across the country during the winter months.
The Minister was given a demonstration of the range of services and information that the organisation provides to support patients across Scotland.
With just weeks to go before the busiest time of year over the festive break, Ms Watt, spoke with frontline staff in NHS 24’s Clydebank Contact Centre and saw how the seasonal initiative was supporting staff to deliver first class care for patients over the winter.
She was also shown a range of winter health information which is available on both NHS24.com and Scotland’s national health information service, NHS inform, websites where a winter zone and new winter self help guides have been created to give people high quality, trusted information about how to look after themselves and their families over the winter period.
The Minister also saw how NHS 24 is delivering support to other parts of NHSScotland with a Donor Response unit for the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, which was recently established. The unit receives calls to record new donor registrations and responds to inquiries from existing donors. Early in 2015 the service will also be used to contact existing donors if blood stocks are running low.
Just a few weeks ago, Ms Watt launched the new Be Healthwise this Winter campaign, which is delivered by NHS 24 on behalf of NHS Scotland. This comprehensive public communications campaign advises the public to make sure they have over the counter remedies for seasonal illness, check prescriptions and GP surgery opening times over the festive holidays and to seek advice from pharmacies if needed.
Ms Watt said: “NHS 24 provides a valuable service to patients across Scotland when their GP surgery is closed. It allows people at any time of day, in any part of Scotland, to have access to health care advice when they need it.
“As they do every year, NHS 24 are now gearing up for the expected surge in demand over the festive and new year period and I’m confident the additional resources NHS 24 have put in place will meet this demand.
“It is also important though that the general public play their part in helping to support NHS services over winter – making sure they have ordered prescriptions in advance and checking when their GP surgery is close.
“If you do fall ill over the festive period, remember you can seek advice from NHS 24, an out-of-hours GP, or the local pharmacy if your condition is not life-threatening. Using these services, rather than turning up at A&E, will keep our emergency departments free for those who really need them.”
The demonstration took place ahead of a series of meetings looking at NHS 24’s performance over the 2013-14 year, including a public session this afternoon. The event was also being webcast to staff across the service’s main centres around Scotland.
NHS 24’s Chairman Allan Watson said: “We welcomed this opportunity to demonstrate NHS 24’s winter service preparations to the new Public Health Minister and her team today. NHS 24 made sound progress in 2013/14 and the Annual Review provided an important opportunity to review performance and to identify key areas for further work and development.”
For more information find NHS 24 at www.twitter.com/nhs24 and on Facebook www.facebook.com/nhs24
People across Scotland can call NHS 24 using the free phone number 111. 111 gives people access to the help and advice they need when it can’t wait until their GP surgery reopens.
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