NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group – and its partners in the local health and social care system – want to make people aware of the range of local healthcare services available including NHS 111, GP surgeries and GP out of hours as well as pharmacies, to help people access the most appropriate care and avoid unnecessary visits to A&E.
To support this, from March 1st, if you attend A&E and your condition doesn’t need emergency care and can be treated much better by your GP practice, you will be redirected to your GP practice instead.
Dr Andrew Davies, Chief Clinical Officer at NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group and local GP said: “Our message is simple – if you have a serious medical emergency, go to A&E or dial 999, for everything else, call your GP or if your GP is closed, dial 111 for out of hours appointment.
“Please do not attend hospitals with common winter illnesses, such as chest infections, coughs and colds, diarrhoea or vomiting. If you think you have the flu, the best remedy is usually to rest at home, keep warm and drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. You can take paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower a high temperature and relieve aches if necessary. Stay off work or school until you’re feeling better. For most people, this will take about a week, but there can be some lingering symptoms that last longer. Call NHS 111 if the symptoms persist or are severe, but there is no benefit in attending A&E unless you are advised to do so.”
“With support from the public we can make sure that we keep it as free as possible for those who do have medical emergencies.”
For more information about and to get help and advice for dealing with everyday illness, please click here.
