Tag: NHS 24

Health Secretary praises NHS resilience

Services dealing with ‘extraordinary surge’ in flu cases

Health Secretary Neil Gray underlined the ‘resolve and resilience’ of the NHS as he praised the dedication of Scotland’s health and social care workforce in facing up to an ‘extraordinary surge’ in Influenza A cases.

The number of patients admitted to hospital as an emergency and testing positive for flu has surpassed the recent peak of the winter of 2022/23.

Following the latest in a series of meetings with First Minister John Swinney, health boards, the Scottish Ambulance Service, Public Health Scotland and NHS 24 earlier this week, Mr Gray praised the NHS response to the increased pressures on the system, in a statement to parliament.

He also thanked members of the public for continuing to follow guidance on the best way to access services, and for doing their bit to reduce the spread of infections in the community.

He stated that, as of 15 December, more than 1.2 million adult flu vaccinations have been administered. Those eligible to be vaccinated have until March to do so, with many health boards offering drop-in clinics.

Mr Gray said expert healthcare advice is available without the need for an appointment through the NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service, adding that £13.6 million of additional funding has been invested in General Practices to enable the recruitment and retention of staff.

Services such as Discharge to Assess and Hospital at Home are also key to helping health and social care partnerships to reduce delayed discharges, ensuring people who are clinically ready to leave hospital can do so.

Mr Gray said: “The resilience and determination shown by staff in the face of pressures across the health and care sector is inspiring.

“Every part of our health service has gone above and beyond to serve the country during the hardest months of the year.

“I’d like to thank the ambulance service staff for their sacrifice and devotion to their task, staying at work beyond the end of their shift as they wait to turnaround at hospitals.

“I’d also like to thank social care staff doing extra shifts to make up for staff being off sick with flu and GPs working at the weekends to offer appointments and bolster the resilience of the entire system.

“Hospital staff, like the porter I met at St John’s in Livingston on Christmas Eve, are working hard to turnaround beds as quickly as possible.

“This is the reality of public service – relentless, skilled, devoted and dedicated work to serve the people that need it most.

“Thanks to the incredible efforts of NHS staff and sure-handed planning, we are facing this with resilience and resolve.”

NHS 24: Service under pressure

📢 IMPORTANT INFORMATION – PLEASE READ.

Today is one of the busiest days of the year for the 111 service and our staff are working extremely hard to answer all calls as quickly and as safely as possible.

The information you need may be available at #NHSinform – check out the links below for more advice.

💊Medication Queries:

For advice on prescribed or over-the-counter medicines, visit our guide. https://nhs24.info/accessing-medicines

🤧 Seasonal Ailments:

Check out NHS inform for advice on common illnesses and symptom checkers to guide your next steps. https://nhs24.info/winter-illness

📱 NHS 24 Online App:

Get health advice and locate nearby services, like pharmacies, with our free app for iOS and Android. https://nhs24.info/NHS-24-Online

✔️ Use NHS Resources Wisely:

Find out more about accessing the Right Care, Right Place: Learn more. https://nhs24.info/RightCareRightPlace

📞 Helpful Tips for Calls:

Use Wi-Fi calling and ensure your phone is charged to prevent disconnections due to network demand.

NHS 24 does not disconnect calls; network issues may cause interruptions.

If you still need to speak to us by dialling 111 please be patient, our dedicated team will answer. If you can try the above options first, it could save you time. We want to help you get the right care, in the right place. 💙

FLU: What To Do

Having the flu can leave you feeling awful, but there are steps you can take to speed up your recovery:

Do:

✅ Rest and get plenty of sleep

✅ Keep warm

✅Drink lots of water to stay hydrated

✅ Take paracetamol or ibuprofen to reduce your temperature and ease aches and pains

✅ Stay off work or school until you’re feeling better

Don’t:

❌ Take paracetamol alongside flu remedies that also contain paracetamol

You can check your symptoms and decide what to do next by visiting

https://nhs24.info/flu

First Minister encourages public to help protect front line services

NHS 24 resilience over festive period

An information campaign and increased recruitment of call handlers are among the initiatives NHS 24 has put in place to help protect vital front line health and care services over the festive period.

First Minister John Swinney visited the NHS 24 call centre in Dundee to observe preparations ahead of the Christmas and New Year period and to express his gratitude to staff.

NHS 24 has been working proactively to bolster resilience and alleviate pressure on both the 111 service and other primary care resources. Initiatives include:

  • Launching a winter campaign focused on digital information and encouraging people to prepare ahead of service closures.
  • Recruiting a record number of call handlers and additional clinical supervisors to strengthen capacity.
  • Prioritising frontline services, including suspending non-essential activities within call centres and managing staff annual leave to maximize availability.

The First Minister said: “The festive period is traditionally very challenging for the NHS. The resilience and determination shown by staff in the face of pressures; both at NHS 24 and across the wider health and care sector is truly inspiring.

“NHS 24 data shows that a quarter of calls to 111 can be resolved online, and the service is encouraging more people to take advantage of its digital self-help guides for faster, more convenient care.

“These online tools can help ensure our front line services can focus on those who need urgent care.”

NHS 24’s Medical Director, Dr Ron Cook, said: “Our digital services use the same clinical advice people get if they call NHS 24 and offer a great first option when people are unwell and are not sure if they need to seek further help.

“We are advising patients to save time and look after symptoms safely and effectively at home by using NHS inform or the NHS 24 Online app’s symptom checkers which will give clinically assured health advice on a wide range of conditions including coughs, rashes, stomach bugs, or back pain.

“By checking symptoms online this will give advice on how best to manage your condition or what to do next if further help is required.”

The Right Care, Right Place campaign reminds the public to use healthcare services appropriately:

  • For advice on minor illnesses and injuries, visit www.nhs24.scot.
  • Call 111 for urgent but non-life-threatening health concerns.
  • Always call 999 in an emergency.

NHS 24: Festive health tips

Claire is from Glasgow and has been a Senior Charge Nurse at NHS 24’s Cardonald contact centre for a year. She is working both Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Claire says: “It has been lovely to take part in the school festive traditions with the kids throughout December. I’m really looking forward to attending the panto on Christmas Eve as well getting involved in some carol singing.

“It’s such a magical time of the year to spend time with the family, and we have lots of quality time planned in between my shifts.

“My top tip for over festive is if you have kids, ensure you have child-friendly remedies available at home.

“Pop into your local pharmacy where they can give you advice on the most appropriate medicines for your family.”

NHS 24 – #PoweredByPeople

NHS 24: Learn more about Whooping Cough

Coughs are irritating – they can disturb your sleep and make you feel quite unwell at times. But how can you tell the difference between a short-term cough or whooping cough?

Read on to find out more … 👇

Whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airways. Also known as pertussis, it is frequently described as the 100-day cough.

The first symptoms of whooping cough include:

👃runny nose

👁️ red and watery eyes

😩 sore throat

🤒 a slightly raised temperature

Intense bouts of coughing then begin around a week later. Coughing symptoms at this stage include:

✔️ bouts lasting a few minutes at a time

✔️ more common at night time

✔️ bringing up thick mucus

✔️ can cause vomiting

✔️ gasping for breath between coughs, which may cause a ‘whoop’ sound (not everyone has this)

Whooping cough can affect people of any age, although young babies under 6 months of age are at a particularly increased risk of complications. Treatment depends on the age of the patient and how long they have had the infection.

Vaccination can protect babies and children from whooping cough. The vaccine is offered to:

🔹 women after the 16th week of pregnancy

🔹 babies at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age (the 6-in-1 vaccine)

🔹 children by 3 years and 4 months (the 4-in-1 pre-school booster)

Find out more about when to seek help for whooping cough and details on the whooping cough vaccine by visiting NHS inform – useful links in comments!

Menopause advice from NHS 24

TODAY is #WorldMenopauseDay and it’s a great chance to spread awareness on the information, advice, and support that is available. 💙

NHS 24 has talked to the experts about a variety of questions (and myths!) that can pop up during this natural transition.

Visit our links in the comments below to find out more:

Menopause information on Women’s Health Platform on NHS inform – 🔗https://nhs24.info/menopause

View our Women’s Health playlist on the NHS 24 YouTube channel – 🎬 https://www.youtube.com/playlist..