Local hospitals remain under pressure with a surge of very unwell people.
To prevent winter viruses spreading, protect vulnerable relatives and friends and ensure that vital NHS services are there for those who need them, local NHS leaders are calling on everyone in our area to follow this advice:
- Make sure that you and your family are up to date with flu, COVID, and RSV vaccinations. These vaccines are especially important for older people, those with underlying health conditions, and pregnant women. Ask at your GP practice or drop in to a local pharmacy. Most practices or pharmacies have some flu vaccines left in stock, but you may need to try more than one location. Find out if you’re eligible and which pharmacies have been offering flu vaccines on our website.
- If you or your family get the norovirus bug that causes sickness and diarrhoea, treat this by staying at home, getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids. Reduce the spread by washing your hands frequently with soap and water – hand gels won’t kill norovirus. Stay away from care homes, hospitals and social occasions until you’ve been clear of symptoms for at least two days. You will still be very infectious until then.
- If you or your family get flu, treat this by staying at home, getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids. Simple painkillers can help if needed. Flu is not usually a concern for otherwise healthy adults and older children, but can be more worrying in the very young, very old or those with other illnesses. Reduce the spread by using tissues and by washing your hands frequently with soap and water. As with stomach bugs, please stay away from care homes, hospitals and social occasions until you’ve been clear of symptoms for at least two days.
- If you or a loved one are very unwell, get medical advice straight away. Early help can prevent someone needing to go into hospital and can save lives. Contact NHS 111 online or by phone for urgent help or if you’re unsure what to do. Don’t forget the mental health support on offer via NHS 111 – choose option 2 when you get through.
- Pharmacists can help with minor symptoms. There is also a service that allows you to walk into a pharmacy and get advice and medicine, if needed, for these minor illnesses and health concerns. Where the pharmacist is unable to help or if your symptoms need further investigation, they will direct you to your GP surgery or another health care professional:
- Earache (aged 1 to 17 years)
- Impetigo (aged 1 year and over)
- Infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)
- Sore throats (aged 5 years and over)
- Shingles (aged 18 years and over)
- Sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women (aged 16 to 64 years)
- Your GP practice is open from 8am to 6.30pm every weekday, but you can help by using online consultations where possible and avoiding calling at the 8am rush. Visit your practice website for information on how to access their services if you need help with an ongoing health concern.
- If you have a family member who has finished their hospital treatment and is due to be discharged home, help to get them there without delay by being available to collect them in your car if you have one. This means that you can check that they are warm, comfortable and settled, and also helps to make beds available in hospital for people who are seriously unwell.
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