Write a commentDon't delay if you need helpl!
While the COVID-19 crisis continues to affect our daily lives, the Health and Social Care Board are advising people who are experiencing ill health or social care problems not to delay in seeking help from GPs, hospitals or social care services. The call comes after a significant drop in people attending various services not related to coronavirus.
Although health and social care services have been scaled back to focus on the response to COVID-19 (coronavirus), the vast majority of health and social care services are still open.
Cancer services across the country have seen a 60% to 70% decrease in the number of red flag referrals; Emergency Department attendances around the country have decreased by 50%; The number of people being admitted to hospital for cardiac conditions such as serious heart attacks has decreased by approximately 50% from the normal level; There has been a drop in child protection referrals to PSNI and social services and also a decrease in number of Children attending GP's.
Health Minister Robin Swann said “I understand that some people may think it is best not to attend their GP or ED when they know the service is under such pressure and I recognise people are making every effort to allow the health services to focus on COVID -19. However, if people are feeling unwellor worried about their symtoms , they should seek medical advice without delay.
“If you have a life threatening emergency, you should phone 999 immediately or go to your nearest ED department.
”My message is clear – please don’t delay seeking help when you need it.”
Robust health infection procedures are in place in all HSC settings to reduce the risk of spread of the virus. Patients with symptoms or conditions that are not due to Covid-19 are assessed in separate areas to minimise the risk of coming into contact with Covid-19 patients.
