Healthcare services across the region remind residents with non-emergency needs to call 111 first to be signposted to the right service for them and their loved ones.
There are three conveniently placed urgent treatment centres in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire which health bosses are urging the public to attend instead of going to hospital.
These are in London Road in Nottingham, Primary Care 24 at King’s Mill Hospital and Newark Urgent Treatment Centre in Boundary Road.
For other non-emergencies, the public can also contact their GP surgery or visit their local pharmacist. For any uncertainty please contact NHS 111 by calling 111 or visit the NHS website.
To help local health services further, please do not go to hospital to get a Covid-19 test.
Those who are symptomatic should stay at home and go to the Government website or call 119 to book an appointment or order a home test kit.
If you have not been able to get the test you need from gov.uk, please keep checking every few hours as more PCR and Lateral Flow tests become available every day.
The public can help its local NHS by:
Getting a Covid-19 vaccine if they are eligible
Only visiting A&E if it is an emergency
Call 111 if they are unsure which service they require
Do you or a loved one need urgent medical advice for something that isn’t an emergency?
111 is here to help you 24/7, every day of the year.
Call 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk
Nobody wants to sit in A&E for hours if they don’t have to.
Dr James Hopkinson, a local GP and Clinical Leader of the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said:
“Our services are under a significant amount of pressure and we are seeing long waiting times at our A&E departments. We need the public’s help now more than ever to protect our services for those that need urgent care.
“We are seeing an increasing number of Covid-19 cases across the county and this is being reflected in our hospitals. In order to protect our patients in hospital we need to reduce the risk of Covid-19 being spread within our health settings and this is why we need the public to think twice about accessing our services if they don’t need to be there.
“Like other areas, our health and care system as a whole continues to face increasing pressure and workforce shortages created by Covid isolation. This includes GP practices across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
“We would strongly urge the public to think carefully about which NHS services they use. If you are unsure, visit NHS 111 online and they will direct you to the best place for your care.
“We are also encouraging everyone who is eligible to book a booster vaccine at the numerous sites across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to help protect themselves, their family and their friends.
“We would like to thank our NHS staff for their continued efforts and flexibility to keep patients safe and for working tirelessly throughout the pandemic.”
