Video reminds people to choose the right service

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside has partnered with Merseyside and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in creating a hard-hitting new video featuring staff from the Accident & Emergency (A&E) department at Whiston Hospital.

This short film aims to explain in simple terms how local hospitals can sometimes become extremely busy, what causes a build-up of patients and ambulances to occur, and what the public can do to help.

This includes:

• Making arrangements to collect loved ones from hospital as soon as they are discharged, so that their bed space can be given to another patient who is still waiting to be admitted
• Choosing the right service when you need same day care – whether that’s contacting NHS 111, or visiting a local pharmacy, urgent treatment centre or GP practice for advice and treatment
• Only attending A&E for life-threatening illnesses and injuries, and helping to ensure that emergency care services stay free for those who need them most.

The film also highlights how across Cheshire and Merseyside, there are a total of:

• 349 GP surgeries
• 590 community pharmacies
• 15 Urgent Treatment Centres (sometimes known as NHS Walk-in Centres)

Each of these services offer urgent, and same day care - providing assessment, treatment and advice for a wide range of conditions.

You can view the short film in full below:

The NHS 111 service is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can help signpost people to where to get advice or treatment if they aren’t sure where to go.

More information about when to call 999 and when to go to A&E is available via the national NHS website.