The Isle of Wight NHS Trust is reminding Islanders to use NHS services appropriately this Bank Holiday weekend and follow the advice in the ‘What to know and when to go’ guide.
With GP Practices closed over the weekend anyone with minor illnesses is encouraged to go along to a community Pharmacy for advice. Pharmacists are medically trained so if your pharmacist thinks your health problem is something more serious, they will be aware when you need to see a doctor.
Hospital, Ambulance and Community services are extremely busy and need to be able to ensure they can attend to those people with more serious conditions in a timely manner.
If you need medical help fast, but it’s not a 999 emergency, the NHS 111 service based at St Mary’s Hospital is able to advise and direct you to the service which can help. You can telephone 111, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The NHS Choices website is also available around the clock at www.nhs.uk.
The Emergency Department at St. Mary’s Hospital and 999 are for life-threatening emergencies, such as:
• loss of consciousness
• acute confused state and fits that are not stopping
• persistent, severe chest pain
• breathing difficulties
• severe bleeding that cannot be stopped
• If you have been referred by your GP for urgent assessment
People are encouraged to take more care with their health where possible by either asking their local pharmacy staff for advice, looking for advice on line (www.nhs.uk) or self-treating using some basic medicine cabinet essentials. Information about local health services is available at www.iow.nhs.uk
The ‘What to know and when to go’ guide can be downloaded at https://www.iow.nhs.uk/Downloads/Campaigns/What%20to%20know%20and%20when%20to%20go/NHS%20what%20to%20know%20and%20when%20to%20go%20FINAL.pdf.
