Isle of Wight health leaders have issued an urgent plea to communities amid increasing pressure on local services.
It comes as Covid-19 rates continue to rise along with 999 calls and demand for health services across the board.
These ongoing challenges faced by health and care teams as they work round-the-clock to provide safe, high-quality care to all patients are compounded by continued high temperatures forecast in the coming days.
What you can do
Now health leaders are reminding local people what they can do to support. This includes:
- Relatives and carers ensuring their loved one can be discharged from hospital quickly when they have received all of the acute care they need to help free up beds for those who need them
- They are also asked to support loved ones with their ongoing care needs in the short term, once they have been discharged from hospital
- Staying in contact with the ward they are on so everyone is clear about and prepared for the expected date of discharge
- Supporting arrangements to provide suitable clothing and shoes for the person being discharged
- Helping with transporting patients home. If you can help take a relative, friend or neighbour home when they are ready to leave hospital it helps them get home more quickly
Other ways to help
Other asks include:
- Wearing a face covering or mask when entering health settings including our hospitals, GP surgeries and urgent treatment centres to help reduce the risk of Covid-19
- Getting the Covid-19 jab if they choose to
- Only dialling 999 or attending the Emergency Department in an emergency – anyone who is unsure or who needs urgent care for an issue that is not life-threatening should contact NHS 111
- Anyone who has vulnerable family, friends and/or neighbours, is encouraged to ensure they are aware of how they can keep themselves protected from the hot weather
Legg: We all need to do what we can
Dr Michele Legg, Island GP and Clinical Director at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, said,
“I cannot emphasise enough how hard colleagues across the Isle of Wight are working together to ensure our patients continue being able to access the care they need when they need it.
“The rise in Covid-19 rates and staff absence combined with other ongoing pressures are creating increasing challenges for health and care services as we enter a really busy time of year for the Island over the summer.
“People can help by choosing the right service at the right time looking out for elderly and vulnerable people in the community during this period of hot weather.
“We all need to do what we can to ensure urgent care appointments are free for those who need them and considering where else they could get care whether that’s their local pharmacy, an online consultation through their GP practice or contacting NHS 111 online.”
Find out more
More information on which service to use and when is available here. This includes mental health care and dentistry as well as urgent treatment centres.
If you need urgent care but it is not a life-threatening emergency, call 111 or visit 111 online and you will be directed to the right service for your needs.
News shared on behalf of Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board. Ed
Image: pandora_6666 under CC BY 2.0
