Category: News
The newly-appointed lead of a regional partnership programme aimed at embedding creative approaches and activities in Devon’s health and care system has set out her ambitions for the role.
Penny Calvert (pictured) is the South West Creative Health Associate (CHA), reporting into NHS Devon, and brings more than three decades of experience in applying arts and cultural activity to the healthcare, community, charitable and justice sectors, as well as schools and further education settings.
A new national project which places one CHA in each of seven regions across England, the CHA programme from the National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH), is funded by the Arts Council until September 2024.
Its main ambition is ‘to foster the conditions for creative health to be integral to health and care and demonstrate the power of culture and creativity to benefit the lives of individuals and communities.’
Penny said her aim was to reach out and connect to the people and places involved in creative health work as well as those who are interested in finding out how to commission and integrate more innovative and cultural approaches to tackling health inequalities.
“I’m really keen to listen to a wide range of health, care, cultural and creative organisations throughout the South West counties, but with an focus on the One Devon integrated care system.
“I will be seeking to understand the local projects and teams that need to be more visible while sharing the excellence and ideas from neighbourhoods employing innovative projects such as dance, film, theatre, writing and arts to explore, understand and improve population health.
“What does creative health mean to you? People don’t necessarily know what it is or recognise when it’s already something they have locally. There is widespread understanding of how physical exercise supports health and wellbeing, so raising the awareness of the impact that the arts have is one of the primary aims for the programme.
“Creative practice and design thinking can build teams, reconnect people and strengthen communication. The arts can be advocates and educators – helping people get their voices heard or learn to use their voice successfully so that they can take greater control of their own health and wellbeing.”
Penny said she wants to hear about what already works and where the gaps are: “What would you suggest as Devon’s bright spots? Where and who is doing great work using creative and cultural activity? It could be everything from a small voluntary group in a village hall through to a larger theatre helping teens build confidence through film and writing projects.”
Share your information or ask about the Creative Health Associate Programme by contacting Penny on penny@ncch.org.uk
You can also follow and interact on the regional LinkedIn page and get more information from the National Centre for Creative Health programme or meet the CAHs.
We are currently experiencing an extended summer with a period of particularly hot weather. Hot weather is something many people look forward to but warm spells can pose health risks for some people.
NHS Devon Chief Medical Officer, Dr Nigel Acheson, said: “Healthcare services in Devon have been very busy this week treating a high number of people suffering from the effects of dehydration. Hospitals and the ambulance service have been under a lot of pressure over the last few days.
“While it is lovely for people to enjoy this extra warm spell, just because the summer holidays are over for most, it doesn’t mean hot weather isn’t a risk to people’s health. It’s important to protect yourself and others from too much sun or heat, to carry water when travelling and to think of those, such as young children or older people, who may not cope as well in the heat.”
Who is vulnerable?
Anyone can become unwell when the weather is hot. People who are at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell include:
- older people aged 65 years and over
- babies and young children aged 5 years and under
- people with underlying health conditions particularly heart problems, breathing problems, dementia, diabetes, kidney disease, Parkinson’s disease, or mobility problems
- people on certain medications
- people with serious mental health problems
- people who are already ill and dehydrated (for example from diarrhoea and vomiting)
- people who experience alcohol or drug dependence
- people who are physically active and spend a lot of time outside such as runners, cyclists and walkers
- people who work in jobs that require manual labour or extensive time outside
2 - people experiencing homelessness, including rough sleepers and those who are unable to make adaptations to their living accommodation such as sofa surfers or living in hostels.
- people who live alone and may be unable to care for themselves
What can we do to stay safe?
There are a few simple things you can do to stay safe when we experience high temperatures: - Keep a close eye on older people, young children, and people with long term health conditions – their bodies can struggle to cope with the heat and they are at greater risk.
- Please only call 999 in a life-threatening emergency. For non-life-threatening emergencies, please visit NHS 111 online.
- If you’re waiting for an ambulance, please don’t call back – unless the patient’s condition has deteriorated or you no longer need an ambulance – to ask when one will arrive, those details can’t be provided, as ambulances are sent to patients with the most life-threatening conditions first.
- Keep cool indoors. Close curtains on windows that face the sun, open windows when its cooler outside than in (when it is safe to do so) and turn off any unnecessary electrical items. Remember it is sometimes cooler sitting in a park under a tree than it is in a home that is too hot.
- If you’re out and about, try to keep out of the sun and avoid physical exertion in the hottest part of the day. Stay safe when undertaking activities such as swimming.
- Check weather forecasts and if you’re spending time outdoors remember to travel with bottled water, apply sunscreen frequently and protect yourself from the sun during the hottest hours of the day, between 11am and 3pm.
There’s lots more information online to help you stay safe during hot weather. Visit the UKHSA and NHS websites including their pages on how to beat the heat and on heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
Millions of eligible people will now be offered a covid vaccine from 11 September, in line with the latest expert guidance on the new covid variant.
This change follows an announcement by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on the risks presented by the new BA.2.86 variant and pre-emptive measures the NHS has been asked to take.
The adult covid and flu vaccination programmes had been due to start in October to maximise protection over the winter months, but now those most at risk including adult care home residents will be vaccinated from 11 September.
The NHS has been asked to bring the programme forward and will be working quickly to ensure as many eligible people as possible are vaccinated by the end of October.
Residents of older adult care homes and those most at risk including those who are immunosuppressed will receive their covid vaccine first.
Carers, pregnant women, and health and social care staff will all be among the groups to be offered a covid jab this winter, as well as adults aged 65 and over.
Eligible people should wait to receive an invite from their local provider.
From 18 September, the NHS will start to invite people in priority order of risk and those eligible will be able to book an appointment on the National Booking Service.
The NHS winter flu and COVID-19 vaccination programme provides vital protection to those eligible and their families over winter, keeping people from developing serious illnesses, and helping to minimise hospitalisations during busy winter months.
Following the JCVI’s recommendation that adults over the age of 65 and those with underlying health conditions would be eligible for a flu and COVID-19 vaccination this year, the offer was due to start from early October to maximise protection for patients right across the winter months.
Now with the increased risks presented by the COVID-19 variant BA.2.86, vaccine sites can vaccinate those eligible for both flu and covid from 11 September.
To support the accelerated programme, vaccine providers will receive an additional payment of £10 (in addition to the Item of Service (IoS) fee) for each COVID-19 vaccination administered to care home residents between Monday 11 September and Sunday 22 October 2023 inclusive; and a separate one-off additional payment of £200 for each Completed Care Home by the end of the day on Sunday 22 October.
For other eligible groups, vaccine providers will receive an additional £5 acceleration payment (in addition to the IoS fee) will be made available for each COVID-19 vaccination administered to eligible people between 11 September and 31 October 2023.
Where people had already booked an appointment for their flu vaccination earlier in September with their local provider, these appointments can go ahead. If vaccine supply has been ordered for covid and flu, sites can start vaccinating against both.
Wherever possible, vaccinations for flu and COVID-19 should still be offered at the same time, making it easier and more convenient for people to get vital protection from both viruses ahead of winter.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England Medical Director, said: “Vaccinations are our best defence against flu and COVID-19 ahead of what could be a very challenging winter, and with the potential for this new covid variant to increase the risk of infection, we are following the latest expert guidance and bringing the covid vaccination programme forward, with people able to get their flu vaccine at the same time to maximise protection.
“The NHS will work quickly to offer people protection against these nasty viruses as soon as possible, first going into adult care homes and inviting those most at risk including those with weakened immune systems.
“So please come forward to get your protection against both covid and flu as soon as possible once invited – it will help protect you and those around you this winter.”
Steve Russell, NHS England Chief Delivery Officer and National Director for Vaccinations said: “Every year NHS staff pull out all the stops to ensure those at greatest risk are vaccinated and protected against winter viruses.
“While we know that flu and covid usually hit hardest in December and January, the new covid variant presents a greater risk now, which is why we will be ensuring as many people as possible are vaccinated against covid sooner – and to support the fast-tracked delivery, vaccine providers will be given additional payments for delivering covid vaccines before the end of October. It’s vital you come forward when it’s your turn.”
Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency, Dame Jenny Harries said: “As we continue to live with COVID-19 we expect to see new variants emerge.
“Thanks to the success of our vaccine programme, we have built strong, broad immune defences against new variants throughout the population. However, some people remain more vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19. This precautionary measure to bring forward the autumn programme will ensure these people have protection against any potential wave this winter.
“There is limited information available at present on BA.2.86 so the potential impact of this particular variant is difficult to estimate. As with all emergent and circulating COVID-19 variants – both in the UK and internationally – we will continue to monitor BA.2.86 and to advise government and the public as we learn more. In the meantime, please come forward for the vaccine when you are called.”
Last year, the NHS carried out its second biggest ever flu vaccination campaign, with more than 21 million flu vaccinations given to adults and children, while more than 17 million COVID-19 jabs were delivered last winter. As part of this, 10 million flu vaccinations and 8 million covid-19 vaccinations were in the month of October, making it by far the most popular month.
In total, more than 149 million covid-19 vaccinations have now been given by healthcare staff and volunteers since the NHS delivered the world’s first COVID-19 jab outside of clinical trials to Maggie Keenan, in December 2020.
But it is important that those eligible this year come forward for their vaccinations as protection fades over time, and the virus that causes flu can change from year to year.
As in previous years, the NHS will let people know when bookings open. Adult flu and COVID-19 appointments will be available through the NHS App and website, or by calling 119 for those who can’t get online. Flu vaccines will also be available through local GP practices and pharmacies.
There will be no change to flu vaccinations for children which will be offered in schools from early next month, to prevent children from getting seriously ill from flu and ending up hospital, and to break the chain of transmission of the virus to the wider population.
The nasal flu vaccine is the most effective vaccine for children aged 2-17 years but if this is not suitable the GP or practice nurse may be able to offer a flu vaccine injection as an alternative.
Health and social care workers will be invited for their vaccines through their employer.
In line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, those eligible for a flu vaccine this year include:
- those aged 65 years and over
- those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book, chapter 19 (Influenza))
- pregnant women
- all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2023
- school-aged children (from Reception to Year 11)
- those in long-stay residential care homes
- carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
- close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
- frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants
Those eligible for an autumn covid vaccine are:
- residents in a care home for older adults
- all adults aged 65 years and over
- persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as laid out in the Immunisation Green Book, COVID-19 chapter (Green Book)
- frontline health and social care workers
- persons aged 12 to 64 years who are household contacts (as defined in the Green Book) of people with immunosuppression
- persons aged 16 to 64 years who are carers (as defined in the Green Book) and staff working in care homes for older adults.
A partnership set up to tackle workforce shortages in Devon’s NHS is celebrating recruiting its 1,000th nurse from overseas.
Devon’s international recruitment programme is known as the Devon Alliance for International Recruitment and has been running since 2021. It plays a part in addressing the workforce challenges that are the root of many of the issues faced by the NHS in the county and across England.
In July, Ezgi Pir (pictured) became the 1,000th nurse to join the programme when she arrived from Turkey to begin her NHS career at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.
Ezgi said: “I am so excited to move to England and continue my nursing career. Everyone has been so helpful with my move over here and my new colleagues have been very welcoming.”
The success of the Devon programme has seen it expand to cover other parts of the workforce where staff shortages are having an impact on patient care every day. The NHS Devon team are also helping to recruit allied health professionals, such as paramedics or radiographers, and social care workers.
Devon is one of only a few systems working with local authorities on international recruitment for adult social care, and the collaboration has been very successful. Since December 2022, 117 international care workers have taken up a post, providing domiciliary care, residential care, and supported living to people in Devon.
Tracey Collins, Head of International Nursing & Workforce at the Devon Alliance for International Recruitment, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the achievements of our international recruitment programme. We are ethical recruiters who adhere to the World Health Organisation (WHO) code of ethical practice and only recruit nurses working in ‘green list’ countries – the places where staff can emigrate to work elsewhere without impacting the healthcare service in that country.
“We don’t run a commercial recruitment model with a large agency; we drive direct recruitment ourselves by showcasing our beautiful county and how we look after our recruits. This keeps costs down and has allowed us to create our own pool of nurses joining us from overseas. We provide support and pastoral care for every nurse moving here to work for the NHS in Devon. Once nurses arrive in England, we ensure they are supported to learn about cultural differences, and stay in regular contact to check they are settling in.”
Staff shortages can lead to urgent care facilities, such as Minor Injury Units, having to run a reduced service or closing temporarily, which has an impact across the health and care system and on the experience of patients. Similarly, in social care, a shortage of qualified care workers leaves many care providers in Devon unable to expand their services to meet additional demand, or it can lead to delays in the provision of care to people living at home. There is also a shortage of qualified nurses in care homes and we are encouraging nurses to join this sector, which offers different experiences and rewards to that of the NHS.
As of 1 August, there were currently more than 22,300 vacancies live on the NHS Jobs website – over 11,000 of them have the word “nurse” in the job title and 519 of those are based in Devon.
Devon is also focussed on developing home-grown talent and there are examples of where that is happening successfully in Devon. However, even if the NHS began training the numbers of nurses it needed today, it would be between two and four years before those individuals had qualified. The NHS England long term workforce plan, which was published in July 2023, is looking to make the NHS less reliant on international recruitment for workforce supply in the medium to long term, but acknowledges targeted international recruitment in the short-term would continue to ease workforce shortages in certain professions.
Tracey Collins added: “Through a careful and conscientious international recruitment programme, NHS Devon is developing the workforce it needs to care for the patients of Devon, in a much quicker timeframe. Our international recruitment programme is proving successful for everyone involved and I hope that other areas in the NHS can work with our model for recruiting these wonderful and vital staff.”
Christian, the first international nurse recruited to Devon through the Devon Alliance, said: “I was so happy to have the opportunity to move to England from the Oman to continue my nursing career. I have learnt so much but I feel like I have really helped patients as well. I am proud to say I work for the NHS. Devon is such a nice place and I am happy to call it my home now.”
The NHS in Devon is preparing for the next round of consultant industrial action ahead of the busy bank holiday weekend.
Visitors and local people are being encouraged to make best use of health services over the next five days to help the NHS cope with the challenging period ahead.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has announced that consultant doctors will be taking strike action for 48 hours from 7am on Thursday 24 August until 7am on Saturday 26 August. During the two days of industrial action, the BMA has advised that consultants will provide ‘Christmas Day’ cover, meaning they will continue to provide an emergency care only level of service.
Dr Nigel Acheson, Chief Medical Officer, NHS Devon, said: “The NHS will be recovering from two days of consultant strikes going into the bank holiday weekend, so we are likely to face a prolonged period of disruption on the frontline. There is likely to be significant impact upon local services. This will mean services will feel different for patients – this could include longer waits.
“We’re asking visitors and residents to do their bit to help our frontline staff by choosing the right treatment options, it will help us to maintain emergency care for those who genuinely need it.”
NHS England data shows that during the previous consultant industrial action in July 2023, in Devon 895 appointments had to be rescheduled.
The message from the NHS in Devon is that urgent and emergency care will be there for you, but please choose the right service for your needs. Ahead of the bank holiday weekend, the advice is to:
- Make sure you have ordered and collected any repeat medicines, especially if you are travelling
- Continue to call 999 in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk
- Go to NHS 111 online if you need medical help or advice, or you are unsure about whether you should go to hospital; you can also phone 111
- Please check local hospital trust websites for information on Minor Injury Units and Urgent Treatment Centres.
- Anyone with a hospital appointment should continue to attend as planned, unless they’ve been contacted to rearrange
- If you, or someone you know, experiences a mental health crisis you can access support from a number of places:
- 24/7 urgent mental health helpline 0808 196 8708
- Mental Health Matters helpline (24/7) 0800 470 0317
- Mental Health Crisis Line Plymouth is open 24/7 0800 923 9323
- Samaritans 1116 123
- Text SHOUT to 85258 for 24/7 text support
- Play your part by taking simple steps during industrial action to look after yourselves and loved ones, checking in on vulnerable family members and neighbours. A first step is making sure your medicine cabinet is well-stocked
- Make use of community pharmacies, which can advise on minor illnesses and provide medications. Details of which pharmacies are open over the bank holiday weekend can be found via the interactive map here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/south/info-professional/pharm-info/pharmacy-opening-hours/
- Visitors to Devon are also reminded that their first port of call for GP care is their home practice, which will be able to provide online, phone and video consultations as well as arranging for prescriptions to be sent to any pharmacy you choose.
A team that cares for people having surgery at Torbay Hospital has been shortlisted for a national award for their innovative work.
The Post Anaesthetic Care Unit (PACU) has been shortlisted for ‘acuity-based patient allocation’ in the Theatre and Surgical Nursing category of the Nursing Times Awards 2023.
PACU is a 14-bed unit that cares for everyone that goes through the inpatient theatre suite at Torbay Hospital. The unit frequently cares for over 50 people a day, with the team made up of nursing staff and operating department practitioners. For more details, click here.
Devon’s Five-Year Joint Forward Plan (JFP), which outlines a shared system-wide delivery plan, has been published.
The plan, which sets out how health and care partners will work together to achieve the strategic goals set out in One Devon’s Integrated Care Strategy, was published on 30 June.
It builds upon significant input from people and communities throughout Devon, based on an analysis of extensive public feedback about health and care (collected by system partners) between 2018 to 2022, a joint Health and Wellbeing Boards Event and a joint Overview and Scrutiny Committees event.
It also benefits from substantial input from health and care partners across Devon, drawn from our Local Care Partnerships, Voluntary Care and Social Enterprise Assembly, and system partners; at system meetings, through a partners survey and at a ‘Change Leaders Event’, attended by more than 50 system leaders.
Summary versions of the plans have also been published on the same page of the One Devon website.
NHS Devon has announced that a project that increases GP access locally through new digital technology has been shortlisted for at the prestigious HSJ Awards, recognising an outstanding contribution to healthcare and securing a place at an awards ceremony later this year.
The project, called GP in the Cloud (GPitC), enables GPs located anywhere in the UK to carry out consultations with Devon patients from their own devices. GPitC uses a secure cloud-based virtual desktop to provide access to practice IT systems, without requiring IT equipment to be physically shared.
Practices using GPitC have reported that they improved access, were more resilient when impacted by unplanned staff absence and found significantly reduced costs to practices. GPitC technology is now embedded as the ‘business as usual’ model across Devon.
A ‘record-breaking’ 1456 entries have been received for this year’s Awards, with 223 projects and individuals reaching the final shortlist, making it the biggest awards programme in the award’s 43-year history.
The high volume – and exceptional quality – of applications once again mirrors the impressive levels of innovation and care continually being developed within the UK’s healthcare networks.
Following the thorough judging process, was shortlisted, ahead of the official awards ceremony to be held later this year (November 16), with its standing out as a real ‘success story’ worthy of a prized place on the panel’s shortlist.
Dr John McCormick, GP and Chief Clinical Information Officer at NHS Devon, said: “We are very proud to be recognised this way. Being shortlisted for in the HSJ Awards 2023 will be a huge boost for our dedicated and hard-working team.
“GP in the Cloud has been transformative for our local GP practices and made significant improvements to us being able to better meet the demands of our patients at a time that there were huge challenges in accessing local GP services.
“Being shortlisted for these awards gives us the opportunity to share our success with colleagues from across the entire sector, as well as showcasing everything we’ve learnt through implementing our project.”
HSJ editor Alastair McLellan, adds; “It always gives me great pleasure to congratulate our finalists at this stage of the judging process and this year is no exception as we acknowledge NHS Devon for being shortlisted in the category of digitising patient care.
“It’s been so encouraging to hear that 2023 has been record-breaking in terms of the number of applicants and, as ever, the calibre of entries left our panel of expert judges with some tough decisions to deliberate over.
“However, it’s always important to remember that the HSJ Awards are not just a celebration of success stories but also a platform to shape the future of the NHS. We can’t wait to welcome our finalists to the awards ceremony in November and to recognise and applaud such impressive achievements across the sector – as well as coming together to help mark the 75th birthday of our great NHS.”
The selected winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at Evolution London on 16 November 2023.
The 2023 awards judging panel was once again made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community, including; Crystal Oldman, Chief Executive, Queen’s Nursing Institute; Dr Habib Naqvi MBE, Chief Executive, NHS Race and Health Observatory; Anne-Marie Vine-Lott, Director of Health, Vodafone; Sir Jim Mackey, National Director of Elective Recovery, NHS England, as well as a range of esteemed Chief Executives from NHS Trusts across the UK.
More than 80 senior leaders from across One Devon met in June to discuss how they could work together to strengthen population health in the county.
The aim of the session was ‘to galvanise partners around better understanding and taking action to strengthen prevention and tackle health inequalities for people in Devon’.
Dr Sarah Wollaston, Chair of NHS Devon, and Cllr James McInnes, Chair of the One Devon Partnership (the county’s integrated care partnership), opened the session while the system’s chief medical officer, Dr Nigel Acheson, said strengthening population health was key to improving health and wellbeing for local people and recovering NHS services and finances.
Presentations followed by Ruth Harrell and Steve Brown, public health directors at Plymouth and Devon respectively, outlining what we mean by population health and the positive impact of the approach; Janie Moor, CEO at Citizens Advice South Hams, and Andrew Moreman, CEO of Young Devon, who described the drivers for ill health that the organisation encounters, including fuel and food poverty, a rise in racism, discrimination and harm, and a lack of social mobility experienced by young people.
Gary Wallace, manager of the Plymouth Health Determinants Research Collaborative at Plymouth City Council, and Aviv Katz, senior service design associate at the Innovation Unit UK, introduced a ‘whole system, whole people, whole place’ approach, including innovative work taking place in Plymouth to support people with excess weight, and a new project getting under way in Devon.
Finally, partners worked together to explore the topics of cardio-vascular disease (CVD) and excess weight, to better understand and strengthen the system response in Devon. The morning culminated in people feeding into a proposed ‘One Devon Charter on Population Health’, outlining the roles and commitments of partners. Output from the event, including the draft charter, updated CVD plan and information on the new excess weight project in Devon will be shared with attendees and One Devon partners soon.
Feedback on the event from participants included:
- 89% of respondents said the event helped them to gain a better understanding of population health and how we can improve it
- 85% said that the event helped them to understand their own/organisation’s role in improving population health
For further information, email, Lisa Gibbins, integrated system development programme business manager, on lisagibbins@nhs.net
The NHS is facing another period of significant disruption this week, with potentially thousands more appointments and procedures postponed due to the latest round of industrial action by junior doctors.
Local people and holidaymakers in Devon are being given advice on accessing health services as the next wave of national strikes begins on Friday.
This is the fifth strike from junior doctors, meaning services have seen over 450 hours without a third of the medical workforce over the last five months – the equivalent of 19 full days.
The NHS will continue to prioritise emergency care during industrial action – the public should continue to use 999 in life threatening emergencies and NHS 111 online for other health concerns.
NHS national medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “This latest round of junior doctors strikes will again significantly disrupt services for patients and the additional challenge this time is that organisations are unable to use agency workers to cover staff out on strike. It is also a period of time where NHS staff often take annual leave, so there are already gaps in the workforce.
“We will continue to prioritise emergency care, but it inevitably means that many thousands of appointments will need to be postponed.
“Please continue to use 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency and 111 online for anything non-urgent. GPs and pharmacies are also open and largely unaffected by strikes. If you have an appointment and haven’t been told it’s been postponed, it’s also vital you turn up as normal.
“While NHS staff are doing all they can to manage, there is no doubt that the cumulative impact of strikes increases with each action, as the NHS continues to tackle the biggest backlog in its history.”
Dr Nigel Acheson, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Devon, said:
“Over the next five days, people should still seek the care they need as they usually would – calling 999 in life threatening emergencies but using NHS 111 online for other health concerns.”
“The culmination of months of strikes, combined with the summer holiday season and increased visitors to the south west, means it could be a really difficult on the frontline.
“The NHS is prioritising resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and will rebook immediately, where possible.
Dr Acheson added: “Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.
“The message from the NHS in Devon is that urgent and emergency care will be there for you, but please choose the right service for your needs.”
Advice for patients:
Hospital appointments
The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.
Urgent or emergency care
People should go to 111 online for medical help and advice but call 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency.
During strike days, it is likely 999 call handlers will be very busy and NHS 111 call centres will have fewer staff – therefore longer call response times are expected across the system. As a result, we are urging anyone with non-urgent care need to first seek help from NHS 111 online.
For more information on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E, you can visit the NHS UK website.
Please check hospital trust websites for information on Minor Injury Units and Urgent Care Centres.
If you, or someone you know, experiences a mental health crisis you can access support from a number of places:
- 24/7 urgent mental health helpline 0808 196 8708
- Mental Health Matters helpline (24/7) 0800 470 0317
- Mental Health Crisis Line Plymouth is open 24/7 0800 923 9323
- Samaritans 1116 123
- Text SHOUT to 85258 for 24/7 text support
GP and dental appointments
GP practices will continue to be open as normal during the strikes. Please continue to attend your GP and dental appointments, unless you are contacted and told otherwise.
Keep yourself safe and well
The NHS is also asking the public to play their part by taking simple steps during industrial action to look after themselves, loved ones and checking in on vulnerable family members and neighbours. Make sure you have ordered and collected any repeat medicines, especially if you are travelling.
Visitors
Visitors to Devon are also reminded that their first port of call for GP care is their home practice, which will be able to provide online, phone and video consultations as well as arranging for prescriptions to be sent to any pharmacy you choose.
