5/1/2010 - NHS North West Appeals To Public For Support And Understanding As The Region Experiences Extreme Weather Conditions : Cumbria County Council

As the North West is hit by record snow and ice, NHS North West is asking members of the public for their support and understanding, as its services try to deal with the extreme weather conditions. Further information can be found by visiting www.northwest.nhs.uk

In partnership with organisations across the region NHS North West is working hard to ensure that urgent and emergency cases are dealt with as soon as possible, with minimum disruption.

This means that non emergency and non essential appointments will have to be postponed. Patient safety is paramount to NHS North West.

NHS organisations across the region are putting into place action plans that have been developed to ensure patient safety is maintained and that urgent and emergency cases are dealt with as priority.

Jane Cummings, Director for Nursing, Quality, Performance and Commissioning at NHS North West, says: “At the moment our priority has to be to maintain patient safety and treat emergency and urgent cases. This may mean that some patients may experience a slight delay to some services, or that services are delivered in a slightly different way.

“Staff throughout the NHS are doing all that they can to ensure essential services continue to run efficiently. We can confirm that some hospitals across the region have taken the decision to postpone all non-essential outpatient appointments today and possibly tomorrow.

“If you have an out-patient or day-patient appointment scheduled for the next few days, please contact your hospital clinic and check whether any arrangements have been changed.

“Our advice to the public is to stay at home and don’t risk going out unless absoultely necessary. The NHS is focusing its resources on emergency cases and non essential appointments are being postponed. Only urgent and emergency cases should attend hospital and all visitors should stay away if possible.

“We have plans in place to manage extreme weather conditions such as those we are experiencing at the moment – but we need the co-operation of the general public. We would like to remind people that 999 and A&E services are for seriously ill people and emergencies. For minor illnesses, ailments and injuries or, if you are feeling under the weather, use your local pharmacy or contact NHS Direct on 0845 46 47, as GP practices are dealing with a high number of patients at the moment.”