NHS tells patients to seek emergency care as needed during latest industrial action in Lincolnshire

The NHS is asking patients in Lincolnshire to continue to seek emergency care if they need to during upcoming industrial action and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most.
Lincoln County Hospital.Lincoln County Hospital.
Lincoln County Hospital.

Health officials explain that this can be achieved by using services wisely by going to NHS 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and continuing to call 999 in a life-threatening emergency.

This Wednesday ambulance workers will go on strike, with nurses also taking industrial action next Wednesday and Thursday. A further ambulance strike is scheduled later in the month on Monday January 23.

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In all cases, priority will be given to those patients with the most clinically urgent health needs.

GPs, community pharmacies, and dentistry are not impacted by strike action and the public should continue to access these services as needed on strike days, says NHS Lincolnshire’s Integrated Care Board.

Ambulance services will prioritise the most clinically urgent cases and on strike days if it is not life-threatening people may have to wait longer than usual for an ambulance. Where safe and appropriate, some patients may be asked to make their own way to hospital – although it is important that they get medical advice from 111 or 999 before doing so.

The NHS will contact anyone whose appointment has to be rescheduled due to strike action. If the NHS has not contacted you, it is important to attend appointments as planned.

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NHS Medical Director For Secondary Care Dr Vin Diwakar said: “The message from the NHS to patients is clear – if you need emergency care, please come forward.

“This means continuing to call 999 for life threatening emergencies as well as using 111 online for other health needs where you will receive clinical advice on the best next steps to take.

“NHS staff have worked hard to minimise disruption but it is inevitable there will be an impact on services.”

The NHS is already facing record demand on urgent and emergency care services – October and November were the busiest on record for A&E attendances and the most serious ambulance callouts.

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Bosses say that the NHS has been preparing extensively for industrial action and for winter, with plans already in place to manage additional demand including 24/7 control centres, additional bed capacity, more mental health support for ambulance services and more community falls services.

Guidance issued ahead of the last industrial action by ambulance services asked local systems to discharge patients who are medically fit and asked that local areas only cancel elective procedures as a last resort.

The NHS has also launched the latest phase of a TV campaign encouraging the public to use NHS 111 online.

After entering answers about health needs online, the service makes an assessment and directs you to the best place for your care – this can include a consultation with a pharmacist, a call back from a nurse, or visiting a same day urgent treatment centre or A&E.

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Figures show more than 6.5 million people used the NHS 111 online service in the last 12 months, with an average of 20,000 users being directed to the right support every day according to the latest data.

NHS England and local NHS areas have plans in place to ensure life-saving care continues and to minimise disruption to patient care.

Regional and national teams will support local areas needing any further assistance on strike days to help local areas coordinate responses.

In November NHS England issued guidance to local NHS employers on what derogations they should seek from local union representatives to ensure certain vital services such as chemotherapy continue.

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Thousands of extra medically fit patients will be discharged from hospitals into community care settings, such as care homes, over the coming weeks to free up hospital beds and reduce pressure on the NHS, the Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay announced on Monday.

The government will make available up to £200 million of additional funding to immediately buy short-term care placements to allow people to be discharged safely from hospitals into the community where they will receive the care they need to recover before returning to their homes.

The move will free up hospital beds so people can be admitted more quickly from A&E to wards, reducing pressure on emergency departments and speeding up ambulance handovers. There are currently around 13,000 people occupying hospital beds in England who are fit to be discharged.

The additional £200 million - on top of the £500 million Adult Social Care Discharge Fund already announced which reached the frontline in December and is already helping discharge people more quickly - will fund maximum stays of up to four weeks per patient until the end of March. Integrated care boards – organisations that arrange health services in each local area - will begin booking beds that are most appropriate to patients’ needs.

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