Tag: winter illnesses

Healthcare awareness campaign launched

Where to seek help over winter

An awareness campaign is underway to ensure people know the best place to access healthcare this winter.

Right Care Right Place helps the public decide the most appropriate service for their healthcare needs – whether they should contact their GP or pharmacy, call NHS 24 on 111 or use self-help guides on the NHS Inform website. Hospital emergency departments should only be visited for critical emergencies.

The campaign features targeted advertising on television, radio and online and aims to help alleviate pressures on the NHS and social care ahead of an expected seasonal increase in demand.

Health Secretary Neil Gray visited East Lothian Community Hospital to hear about work being undertaken to address delayed discharges. The hospital supports patients leaving acute hospitals who require intermediate care before returning home.

Mr Gray said: “We have been working closely with colleagues across the NHS and social care to make sure we are as prepared as possible ahead of winter.

“Public information and awareness of the treatment options and how to access them when needed is key to ensuring services are directed where they are most needed.

“This will help everyone to get the right care, in the right place as quickly as possible while helping alleviate pressures on the rest of the NHS. People can also help by making sure they receive their Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Covid-19 and flu vaccinations if eligible.”

Self-help guides can be found on NHS inform and include advice on the most common winter illnesses.

Health and social care: winter preparedness plan 2024 to 2025 – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

NHS TV ad star urges Scots to be prepared for winter illnesses

NHS Scotland’s latest advertising campaign is aimed at reminding us all to be prepared for winter ailments.

One of the stars of the ad is Julie-Ann Lindsay, a senior charge nurse with NHS 24, who helps people when they call 111 for urgent or out of hours medical care.

Julie (above), from Leven, said: “After what has probably been the busiest year of my professional life I really wanted to help people by reminding them to take a few small steps to look after themselves and their family this winter. Taking part in the TV ad was a good opportunity to do that.

“Our campaign encourages things like keeping things like paracetamol and ibuprofen at home, making sure you’re up to date with any repeat prescriptions in plenty of time, and even taking a bit of time to get familiar with our health information site NHS Inform, which has a number of self-help guides. Each of these steps means you can hopefully avoid illness becoming a problem over winter.”

The festive period is always busy for NHS 24, and in 2019 they answered over 122,000 calls over the eight day period. This Christmas looks to be even busier, and it comes at the end of what has already been a tough year for Julie and her staff:

“When the COVID cases began to rise the first place I wanted to be was in work, offering support to the general public. It’s been a hard job- hearing from families who have each become unwell, and managing my own family’s health, has been a humbling experience. 

“No one likes becoming unwell over Christmas, and we will always be available if you need to get in touch. However, these small steps can mean you can relax a little- which I think we could all use right now!-and hopefully avoid needing to pick up the phone. It was a freezing cold day for filming our ad, but I think the message is worth it!”

General advice and information on how to stay healthy this winter can be found at www.nhsinform.scot/winter