15 May 2009
Staff at Epsom and St Helier hospital's Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments are urging people to take extra care during this bank holiday weekend (23 - 25 May) and to only visit the A&E department if it's an emergency.
Bank holidays are often busy times for A&E departments up and down the country, and people with injuries that are not emergencies may have to wait longer to be seen. During last year's May bank holiday 750 people visited the Trust's A&E, and similar figures are expected again this year. A normal weekend will see approximately 500 people come through the A&E doors.
Carole Ann Johnson, lead doctor in the A&E department at St Helier Hospital, said: "Most people using A&E genuinely need its services and are suffering a life threatening or real emergency to their health
"However, we would encourage anyone who is feeling unwell with a non-emergency condition to seek medical advice at the earliest opportunity. We know it can be tempting to put off seeking treatment or to wait until you have some time off over the bank holiday, but by that point, your local GP surgery will be closed and you may think A&E is the best option.
"We also understand that people want to make the most of their long weekends and be active, but unfortunately, that can sometimes mean that more people suffer injuries. Because of that, we would urge people to take extra care when travelling or perhaps undertaking home improvements."
There are a number of ways that you can access treatment over the bank holiday:
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Contact your GP's out-of-hours services by phoning the surgery directly. Most GP surgeries will have an answering machine message telling you how to contact the out-of-hours doctor.
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NHS walk-in centres can provide advice about common medical problems and what to do about non-urgent conditions. Most centres are open seven days a week, from early morning until late at night. No appointment is needed.
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If you need medical advice for a minor injury, such as a small cut, graze or minor sprain, it could be best to go to a specialist Minor Injury Unit, which is designed to deal with such conditions.
