Robust plans are in place across NHS Lothian this winter to help patients receive the right health care in the right place.
The health board, which is already experiencing significant pressures, has geared up for the busiest time of the year.
The numbers of people who need healthcare surges every winter for a variety of illnesses and conditions, including winter bugs, such as flu, COVID, other respiratory illnesses and Norovirus.
NHS Lothian is working closely with the four health and social care partnership in the region – East Lothian, Midlothian, Edinburgh and West Lothian – to focus in on more community-based initiatives to reduce the need for hospital attendance and admission in the first place.
The move also means that more patients will be able to receive the care they need closer to home and if they do have to be admitted to an acute hospital, the length of their stay in hospital should be shorter.
In turn, the renewed focus on community programmes will help free up more hospital beds for patients who are acutely unwell.
Dr Tracey Gillies, Medical Director, NHS Lothian, said: “The pressures facing hospital and community teams, GPs and pharmacies regularly surge beyond levels of activity that some years ago would normally have been associated with winter.
“That level of demand will only increase as winter progresses, so we have worked with partnerships to bolster their capacity in the community to ensure that more hospital beds are available for those that need them most.
“Health care is there for everyone who needs it this winter and we want to make sure patients can receive their advice, care or treatment in the right place at the right time.”
Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPS) across Lothian are enhancing their “discharge to assess” programmes which helps support people to leave hospital as soon as it is safe and appropriate.
Single points of contact (SPoC) services are also being boosted. These systems are aimed at people who are at imminent risk of hospital care but can be safely managed in the community. They support GPs and other professionals to rapidly coordinate services.
Other streamlined assessment processes have also been put in place to expedite hospital discharges and help community teams to proactively identify people ready for discharge with their support.
People across Lothian are being reminded to seek care in the right place this winter – and that in many cases they may get help sooner and closer to home, without attending an A&E department.
The NHS Inform App is the first stop for self-care and advice, while local pharmacies, GP, or Minor Injuries Unit can provide expert care and treatment, usually closer to home. If patients are unsure where to get help or if they need urgent health care at night or at the weekends, they should call 111 day or night.
In Lothian, patients may be signposted on to other services if they turn up to hospital A&E when they don’t need to be there.
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