Use your health service – responsibly

23 March, 2004

Staff at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds are calling for members of the public to use the accident and emergency service responsibly, and only attend in cases of real emergency.

The A&E Department at the West Suffolk Hospital has been very busy over the past few days, and staff are eager to ensure that people only use the service if they really need to.

“The Hospital has been faced with a high level of emergency admissions in recent days, with nearly 80 people having to be admitted yesterday,” said Nichole Day, Director of Nursing. “There does not appear to be any single reason for this unexpected surge in emergencies, but it obviously has an impact upon the Hospital and makes it more difficult to manage the demands on our services.

“Accordingly, we are urging people to consult their GP or NHS Direct before attending Accident & Emergency. One in 10 of the tens of thousands of people who will come to our A&E Department this year could have had their care provided elsewhere.

“Casualties with a real need for treatment have to wait that little bit longer because of these people, many of whom could be seen by their own GP during normal surgery hours.

“When we were exceptionally busy during the Christmas period because of winter viruses, people did heed our warnings to use the health service responsibly. I am hoping to see the same pattern of behaviour this year into Easter and beyond.”

People who are not facing a medical emergency are urged to see their GP or contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647. The health advice and information hotline was launched in 1999 and runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Nurses at the NHS Direct call centre answer calls from the public on all health issues and, if necessary, can direct callers to their GP and emergency services.

Nichole Day said people could also seek advice from pharmacists, learn about first aid and to keep a well-stocked first aid kit in the home.