Ambulances in London are to start
carrying a hard-hitting advert to remind the public of where else
they can go for medical help before calling 999.
The image of a patient being resuscitated will be carried
on vehicles across the capital to link in with NHS London’s Choose
Well initiative, which aims to highlight the full range of
healthcare options available to people who need advice or
treatment.
This includes calling NHS Direct on 0845 46
47, seeing a pharmacist or GP, or visiting a local NHS walk-in
centre, urgent care centre or minor injuries unit.
And those people who may need to go to
hospital but are not in a life-threatening condition are being
reminded that arriving there in an ambulance will not mean that
they will be seen any more quickly than if they got a lift from
friends or relatives.
It is the first time that that the Service has
used its vehicles as mobile billboards to take public education
messages out onto the roads.
Medical Director Fionna Moore said: “We don’t
want to put anyone off from calling us in an emergency, but it is
in everyone’s interests for patients to choose well and use the
right NHS service for their particular needs.
“If people can improve their understanding and
awareness of where they can go for help in their area, then it will
help us to be able to reach those patients with the most serious
illnesses and injuries as quickly as possible.”
The Service now receives nearly 1.5 million
emergency calls a year and in 2009 responded to one million
incidents.
To help deal with the increasing demand on the
system, callers with more minor problems who don’t need immediate
medical help are increasingly being given advice over the phone by
a specially-trained clinical advisor rather than being sent an
ambulance crew to treat them.
In some cases, they are also referred to NHS
Direct for advice on where to get the most appropriate help or
treatment.
Full details of the NHS services available
across London can be found at http://www.nhs.uk/
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