Health services in the North West are urging people to stay safe this bank holiday weekend, and know where to get help if they need it.
Saolta says COVID-19 is circulating in the community, and health and emergency services across the North West are anticipating a busy weekend.
They say many local pharmacies will be open over the weekend, including Bank Holiday Monday, to help with minor illnesses, and are stressing that pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals who can advise on a range of health issues.
Additional resources are being put in place to support out of hours GP services in light of an expected increase in demand for non-emergency treatment. NoWDOC will be open from 6 o’clock tomorrow evening until 8 o’clock on Tuesday morning, and can be contacted on 0818 400 911.
Letterkenny University Hospital’s Emergency Department continues to be very busy along with other hospitals in the region, and Saolta’s CEO Tony Canavan says anyone with an illness or injury which requires emergency care should always come to the ED where they will be prioritised.
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Statement in full –
Health services are reminding the public to stay safe this bank holiday weekend and know where to get help if you need it.
02 August 2023
- Get the right treatment, in the right place, at the right time
- If you urgently need to see a GP outside of their clinic hours contact your out of hours GP
- Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals and can advise you on a range of health issues
- Always go to the ED if your illness or injury is a life-threatening emergency
The August bank holiday is approaching and it is expected to be a very busy weekend with many people travelling around the country and enjoying outdoor activities. COVID-19 is circulating in our communities and health and emergency services across the North-west are anticipating a busy weekend. We are reminding the public of the care options available if you become unwell.
Many local pharmacies will be open over the weekend including Bank Holiday Monday to help with minor illnesses. Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals. They can help you get the right medicine if you are feeling unwell, they can also advise on range of health issues. Find out more about the services offered by your local pharmacy here: https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/2/pharmacy/
Dermot Monaghan, Chief Officer, Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo said: “If you urgently need to see a GP outside their clinic hours, you can contact your local GP out-of-hours service. Additional resources are being put in place this long weekend to deal with an expected increase in demand.
“Out-of-hours GP services, NoWDOC and Caredoc, will be open from 6pm Friday August 4th until 8am Tuesday August 8th. Please contact your GP out of hours service prior to attending the service. Caredoc can be contacted on 0818 365 399 and NoWDOC on 0818 400 911.”
Hospital Emergency Departments around the country are experiencing very high attendances and we expect this to be another busy weekend. EDs are for life threatening emergencies, patients who attend for routine and non-urgent treatment will be waiting a long time to be seen. Please do not visit a healthcare setting if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 (sore throat, cough, temperature or shortness of breath.
Tony Canavan, CEO Saolta said, “As the last bank holiday weekend of the summer approaches we are expecting a busy few days in our hospital EDs. I want to reassure the public that anyone with an illness or injury which requires emergency care should always come to the ED where they will be prioritised. We have operational plans in place for all bank holiday periods to manage additional pressures and health staff across hospital and community settings will continue to work together over the weekend to ensure all available beds across the hospital and community are in use.”
Dr Áine Mc Namara, Area Director of Public Health Area F offers the following advice “While spending time with family and friends, it is important that if you are feeling unwell to avoid meeting those who are vulnerable to protect them from illness. In the past week, there was an increase in COVID-19 cases nationally (22% increase in cases and 19% increase in hospitalised cases). Keeping up to date with your vaccines is the most important thing you can do to avoid serious COVID-19 illness. Find out more here.”
JJ McGowan, General Manager Operations West with National Ambulance Service added, “Please also bear in mind that our ambulance service is extremely busy at present. We continue to prioritise calls so the most seriously ill or injured receive the quickest response. Please consider all your care options because non life-threatening calls will have longer wait times. In an emergency always call 112/999.”
It’s important that people are #SunSmart this weekend, even when it’s cloudy, by wearing sunscreen, covering up with hats and clothing, using sunglasses and shade to protect your skin in the sun. If visiting a beach, swimmers are encouraged to check the latest water quality information for their bathing site at www.beaches.ie. For those enjoying a barbecue, you can find tips on cooking safely with BBQs at https://www.safefood.net/.
