Health services appeal for emergency calls only at Christmas

By SIOBHÃÂN HOLLIMAN HEALTH officials in the West are appealing to the public to only call upon emergency and Westdoc services over the festive period if they are urgently needed. This is the busiest time of the year for the out-of-hours GP service, which will be covering three public holidays between Christmas and the New Year, as well as providing the usual evening and weekend service. HSE West Regional Director of Operations John Hennessy says staff such as ambulance personnel, nurses, medical staff and porters will continue to provide essential health services to people who need them over Christmas. 'I would urge you only to come to hospital if you have an emergency or to contact your out-of-hours GP service if you have an urgent health need,' he said.[/private] Siobhan O'Sullivan, Westdoc CEO, asks patients to be mindful that the service is only for people who require urgent GP medical care. 'Our experience last year showed that the majority of calls to the Westdoc service were made in the mornings, which caused unnecessary delays for many patients. In many cases the calls were not urgent cases and/or were calls that could have waited until later in the day. We ask callers to be aware that the mornings are particularly busy and if they feel that they can wait until later in the day to call, then they are likely to have a shorter waiting time for an appointment,' she explained. Dr Oliver Whyte, Westdoc Clinical Director, points out that non-urgent calls can clog up the system for those who really need it. 'Westdoc's primary concern is to provide urgent GP care to patients of participating GPs who become ill outside of regular surgery hours. It is critical that these patients can access the Westdoc service promptly. If patients call for non-urgent or routine matters, it prevents the system operating at its best for those who really need it,' he stressed. Patients are reminded that their own family doctors will be running surgeries over the Christmas period and they should be contacted during regular hours. John Hennessy of the HSE West is calling on everyone to look after their health and to take care over the Christmas and New Year holidays. 'I would like to wish everyone who uses our services and all of the staff in HSE West a happy and healthy Christmas. It is important to recognise and thank all of the staff who are working over the Christmas period in providing services to people who need our care.' Householders are reminded to check they have enough of their usual prescription medication in stock ahead of the holidays and to have some general medical supplies on hand also, such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamines (for allergies), anti-diarrhoea medication, anti-emetics (tummy upsets) and bandages and plasters. [private]