A new plea has been made to people not to seek accident and emergency help for trivial problems.
Dr Andrew Mortimore, interim director of public health for Portsmouth, said: ‘We know over the winter the number of serious and life-threatening cases increases if the temperature falls below 12 degrees Celsius.
‘What we don’t want at such a busy time is people calling 999, turning up at A&E or going to their GP when they don’t need to be there.
‘Let’s keep A&E for those who genuinely need it due to major accidents or blood loss, loss of consciousness, severe chest pain, breathing difficulties and similar.
‘It’s not for minor injuries, hangovers, sprains or strains, pulled muscles or mild stomach upsets.
Visit hampshire.nhs.uk/index.php/local-services38/choose-well or portsmouth.nhs.uk/your-health/choosewell
And the message has been reiterated by South Central Ambulance Service, which has seen an increase in the number of people calling 999 for an ambulance.
As winter and the festive season kicks in, the service is anticipating a further rise in calls.
Comments