Emergency Care at A&E departments – NCA asks public to #HelpUsHelpYou

Dr Chris Brookes, A&E Consultant at Salford Royal, and Group Chief Medical Officer for the Northern Care Alliance 

Christmas is a busy time for the Northern Care Alliance’s four Emergency Departments including the A&E at The Royal Oldham Hospital and the A&E at Fairfield General in Bury.

The organisation is asking the public to think carefully and consider which health services to use over Christmas and throughout the coming winter months to help them help you to choose the right care.

Managing busy Emergency Departments during the continuing pandemic means that social distancing and infection prevention and control measures are even more important, in order to keep all patients and staff safe and secure.

When attending A&E departments and the Urgent Treatment Centre at Rochdale Infirmary, patients may now be signposted to other types of care if they aren’t in need or emergency or urgent treatment. 

These other types of care include being sent to another department in the hospital or community, being given an appointment time to come back to a hospital department on the same day, being given an appointment with a local GP, being advised to contact their own GP, being redirected to a local pharmacy or given self-care advice.

If patients need urgent or emergency care, they are admitted through to the Emergency Department.

By asking patients to help the NCA help them to choose the right care, this keeps Emergency Departments free for emergencies: those who are critically ill, patients who need emergency and urgent care. Selecting the correct service ensures patients get the best treatment in the shortest possible time.

A&Es are for emergencies such as choking, severe bleeding or a suspected stroke. A large range of common winter illnesses and injuries can be treated at home with over-the-counter medicines and plenty of rest.

Dr Chris Brookes, A&E Consultant at Salford Royal, and Group Chief Medical Officer for the Northern Care Alliance, said: “At our hospitals that have Emergency Departments in Oldham, Bury and Salford and our Urgent Treatment Centre in Rochdale we are encouraging the public to help us to keep A&E free for those who are critically ill and need emergency care, for example those with life-threatening conditions.

“We are also encouraging the public to avoid attending A&E and overcrowding our waiting areas so that we can keep everyone safe and secure as the pandemic continues. Please think carefully about choosing the right healthcare service.”

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Group (NCA) brings together the Pennine Acute and Salford Royal trusts, including four hospitals, community services and over 19,000 staff.

Pharmacists can also offer advice and over the counter remedies for many common winter illnesses and local people are being reminded to stock up their cupboards with medicines over winter.

For a full list of pharmacy opening times this Christmas and New Year please visit the Greater Manchester LPC website.