Staying healthy this winter: here’s how you can help

The NHS is facing exceptional challenges right across the country. The Royal Devon has seen significant increased demand for services recently with a high number of respiratory infections, and cases of norovirus across the Trust.

Choose the right healthcare service

One of the ways people can help is by choosing the right healthcare service for their needs. This could mean using a minor injuries service, local pharmacy, or a GP practice.

Choosing the right service helps reduce pressure on our emergency services. This frees them up to help those who need it most and also means you can get the care you need as soon as possible. Find out more about what’s available.

Think pharmacy first this winter and help keep our emergency services free for those with urgent, life-threatening conditions. Your local pharmacist can provide prescription medicine for seven common conditions, including sore throats and earaches, without you needing to seeing a GP or make an appointment. Find out more here.

Our minor injuries units (MIUs) and walk-in centres (WICs) are available over winter, in most cases without an appointment, offering excellent service for when you have a medical problem that’s not critical or life-threatening, including minor cuts and wounds.

Remember to check with your GP practice and ensure you have enough of your prescription medication to get you through the bank holidays.

Please contact NHS 111 before travelling to a service over Christmas and New Year, as it may be closed or running reduced hours, and they will be able to advise you on what is open and available.

The NHSquicker app also provides up-to-date waiting times and opening hours for local services, based on your location, so you can easily check where your nearest available services are on bank holidays. Visit nhsquicker.co.uk for more information and to download the app.

Getting you home before the holidays

If you’re staying in hospital, our top priority is to help you get better and support you to leave hospital when the time is right. We know that people recover and rehabilitate better at home and, at this time of year in particular, it is important for people to be at home in comfortable surroundings with family and friends.

If you have a family member, a friend or a neighbour in hospital you can do to help support their discharge from hospital by staying in contact with the ward they are on, supporting with any necessary arrangements for discharge and understanding ongoing medication needs.

For more information, please read our patient guide to discharge information leaflet, which includes a helpful discharge checklist.

Staying safe from winter illnesses

One of the best ways you can stay safe and help protect your loved ones this winter is to get your flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccinations. If you are eligible for the vaccines, but haven’t got them yet, please consider getting them as soon as possible. They are there to protect you and can help reduce the risk of you needing to be hospitalised in you catch either virus this winter.

More details on how to get vaccinated can be found here.

Finally, please help us by not visiting our hospitals and sites if you are showing any symptoms of respiratory diseases (including COVID-19 and flu) or any other infections like norovirus (such as diarrhoea and vomiting). If you have an outpatient appointment and have symptoms of a virus, please call the number at the top of your letter to discuss.