NHS Lothian teams are working to make sure patients continue to receive the highest quality care this winter, despite the widespread predictions of increased illness and hospital admission.
This winter, the focus will be on reducing hospital attendance and admission, increasing hospital flow, providing more care closer to home and reducing the length of a patient’s stay.
Plans are in place to improve patient flow through the hospital system and boost community-based initiatives, such as Hospital at Home, to provide urgent medical care for chronic conditions in a person’s home, rather than patients having to travel to hospital.
Other pioneering initiatives have also been created in the community in tandem with the four Health and Social Care Partnerships in Lothian to help patients return home as soon as they are medically well enough.
The projects will speed up the discharge process, meaning that more beds can be freed up for the patients that need them most during what has traditionally been the busiest time of the year for the NHS.
Dr Tracey Gillies, Medical Director, NHS Lothian, said: “All of the predictions for this year have warned that this will be one of the most challenging for the NHS to date.
“The pressures facing acute and community teams, GPs and pharmacies have already surged to levels that would normally have been associated with winter and they have been like this for most of the year so far.
“There is no distinct rise and fall in activity as would have been seen in the years before the Pandemic.
“We are very proud of all of our teams who perform vital, lifesaving work every day. Our planning is designed to support them, but also allows them to continue to provide the high quality, patient-centred care we are all so proud of.”
As part of that winter planning, NHS Lothian has launched a clear-cut campaign to make sure patients know where to get help if they are sick or injured this winter.
The “A&E is for critical emergencies only” campaign has been designed to help get patients the right care in the right place this winter, as health services come under increasing pressure.
The campaign highlights all of the health care services and advice available to remind people that they might be able to get help sooner and closer to home, without attending a hospital.
It will feature on the back of buses, telephone kiosks, digital audio and across social media to raise awareness and ensure patients know where to get help.
In Lothian, patients may be signposted on to other services if they turn up to hospital A&E when they don’t need to be there.
The NHS Inform App is the first stop for self-care and advice, while local pharmacies, GP, or Minor Injuries Unit can provide expert care and treatment, usually closer to home. If patients are unsure where to get help or if they need urgent health care at night or at the weekends, they should call 111 day or night.
Dr Gillies added: “Health care is there for everyone who needs it this winter and we want to make sure patients can receive their advice, care or treatment in the right place at the right time.
“It means they may be treated sooner, rather than face lengthy waits and there may be options closer to home.”
