Help Us Help You this Winter
Our hospital sites at University Hospital of Wales and University Hospital Llandough are under extreme pressure.
This is resulting in waits within the Emergency Unit being longer than we would like so we are appealing to the public to Help Us Help You and consider if you do need us.
If it is not an emergency there are other ways you can access healthcare services outside of an acute hospital setting that will support our teams to care for those that needs us most.
The NHS 111 Wales Symptom checker has a wealth of information on self-care and managing minor conditions at home, which can help to alleviate the pressure on healthcare services. Here you can find out how to keep yourself well at home and if you need further advice your community pharmacy can help with most minor conditions and illnesses, providing over the counter medications to manage your symptoms.
Your GP Practice is there to support with non emergency conditions during working hours and practices have a number of healthcare professionals aside from a GP which include Practice Nurses, Physiotherapists and Mental Health Practitioners who may be better placed to advise on your healthcare need.
Minor Injuries
If you have a minor injury, the Minor Injuries Unit at Barry Hospital may be best placed to support you. You can access the service by calling 111 and if appropriate, a clinician will book you an appointment that the Minor Injuries Unit. This is not a walk-in service, please call 111 before attending.
If you are unwell out of hours but it is not an emergency you can contact the Out of Hours service by calling 111. You will be asked questions by a trained call handler and if you have a clinical need, a clinician will call you back and advise on the best way to access care, which may be at one of our Out of Hours clinics.
Of course if it is life or limb threatening our Emergency Unit is here for you but if it can wait please think – do you need us or can another health care setting help you?
Reducing Time in Hospital
Other ways you can support our teams is to help us get your loved ones out of hospital in a timely way when they no longer require medical intervention. Our teams work hard to identify and put in place care packages to support those who need it but we would urge families to please engage with our teams early to support them to leave hospital when they no longer need us.
An acute hospital setting is not always the best place for patients when they no longer require medical treatment and staying in hospital for longer than necessary can lead to deconditioning, which includes:
Loss of independence and muscle strength
Depression
Poor digestion leading to constipation
Confusion
Loss of self confidence
We need your support to ensure your loved ones are only in a hospital bed when they need it. By getting them home when they are medically well also means our teams can use the acute beds for patients that require that level of care.
If you do come into the Emergency Unit, you may be directed to a health care setting which is more appropriate for your needs so you receive care from the correct team. This could be one of our other hospital sites such as University Hospital Llandough, Barry Hospital or St David’s Hospital. Or you could be directed back to community services if it is something that can wait.
Remaining in hospital for longer than needed could also mean you are at risk of developing a healthcare associated infection. Unfortunately we are seeing an increase in flu within our hospital sites as it is circulating in the community, so we are asking people to please wear masks if you have respiratory symptoms to minimise the spread of infection.
Thank you for reading and we appreciate your support as we look after our NHS.