Hampshire health leaders issue urgent plea to community as they predict 'uphill battle' for NHS services over the Easter weekend

Residents are again being asked to only attend emergency departments (ED) in life-threatening situations, as new figures show within just one day in the last week at least one person in the region attended an A&E every minute – or more than 1,460 in one day.

And across seven days more than 8,500 people attended EDs in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Dr Derek Sandeman, chief medical officer for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System, said: ‘I would like to say a huge thank you to our communities - we are incredibly grateful for their continued support. We can see that more people are choosing to access a wider range of services rather than coming to the emergency department when they can, which has had a positive impact in recent days.

‘However, with continued high rates of staff sickness, Covid-19 and the forecast rise in temperatures over the Easter weekend, we face an uphill battle as we prepare for further increases in pressure and the number of people needing treatment.

‘We are continuing to ask for people’s support in how they access care locally and appeal to everyone to do their bit.

‘Our EDs are for people experiencing serious, life-threatening injuries or illnesses. If you need urgent care but it is not an emergency please contact 111 to be directed to the right service for your needs.

‘Help our dedicated health and care teams keep our EDs free for those who need them most.’

And, as previously reported, Hampshire patients will continue to be discharged from hospital when they have received all of the acute care they need – even if they continue to test positive for Covid-19.

Relatives and carers are urged to ensure their loved one can be discharged quickly to help free up beds for those who need them, and to support loved ones with their ongoing care needs in the short term once they have been discharged from hospital.

Similarly, the Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU), which runs Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, will continue to ‘run in incident command’ over the Easter weekend, prioritising care for those most in need and discharging patients where possible.

It comes as The News reported how PHU announced a critical incident on April 6 after all hospital beds were full and hundreds of staff were off sick. And at one point a quarter of in-patients were all Covid positive.

On the same day the South Central Ambulance Service also declared an emergency situation due to ‘extreme pressures.’

Further to this GP practices in Portsmouth are appealing for people to remain patient as they expect services to be busier than usual over Easter.

Clinical executive for NHS Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and GP at East Shore Partnership, Dr Linda Collie, said: ‘GP practice staff continue to do all they can to support patients and provide the very best care possible, under intense pressure that is only likely to increase with the Easter holidays ahead.

‘We are appealing to patients for their continued understanding and support as we strive to face these pressures, which may mean having to wait longer for a less urgent appointment or experiencing some delays.

SEE ALSO: How busy is my GP surgery in Portsmouth?

‘Thank you for being patient and kind to our staff if you need to wait longer to have your enquiry dealt with.’

Last year The News reported how GP practice staff – from receptionists to doctors – were seeing an increase in abuse from patients with as many as one in five calls at a busy practice involving screaming, shouting or unpleasant behaviour.

At the same time patients have expressed frustration when it comes to booking appointments.

Chairman for Healthwatch Portsmouth, Roger Batterbury, said: ‘Healthwatch Portsmouth has seen an increase in feedback from patients to us who say they are experiencing difficulty in accessing their GP surgery by phone.

‘We understand that there are lots of staff off sick currently due to Covid which is impacting on surgeries’ capacity to respond to patient demand. We know from what we hear about so many changes taking place in people’s lives and re-adjusting to the health and wellbeing challenges that we are all facing it is a stressful time for any frontline staff providing support.

‘We know that patients understand the pressures being faced in the healthcare system and will do all we can to provide relevant and timely information to those who are contacting us and looking for help regarding local health and care services.’

Ahead of the Easter break, you can help NHS staff by using services including urgent treatment centres for minor injuries, pharmacies for advice, treatment, and any routine prescriptions, and to self-care at home before attending a GP practice or emergency department.

If you are unsure where to go for medical help and need advice, please contact NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk or call 111.