DON’T FORGET THE HEALTH ESSENTIALS THIS EASTER
Caerphilly Local Health Board (LHB) is urging people in the borough to plan ahead for the Easter Bank Holiday weekend to help ease the pressure on Gwent’s out of hours service.
With all GP surgeries shut for four days (Good Friday, Easter Weekend and Easter Monday), the LHB is warning people not to get caught short and is advising regular prescription users to stock up on their medications before Easter and make any routine appointments before their surgery closes.
Judith Paget, chief executive of Caerphilly LHB, said: “The out of hours service serves more than 600,000 people in Gwent and weekends and bank holidays are particularly busy times. We are asking people to not put unnecessary pressure on the service and help us deal with the most unwell people as quickly as possible by keeping the lines free for those patients who urgently need to speak to someone.”
The out of hours service provides access to a qualified health professional for people who need urgent medical attention when GP surgeries are closed. It should not be used:
- as a drop in-service – people should only attend the primary care centre if they have been given an appointment
- as a replacement for the in-hours service – if the problem is not urgent, people should make an appointment with their surgery as normal
- for renewing repeat prescriptions
- for getting test results
- for general advice – people can get general healthcare advice from their local pharmacists or by phoning NHS Direct on 0845 46 47
People with injuries or serious conditions which pose an immediate threat to life should call 999 or visit their nearest A&E department.
The out of hours GP helpline service – 0845 600 1231 – is open Monday to Friday from 6.30pm until 8am and 24-hours on weekends and bank holidays.
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