Is A&E is the right place for you to receive care?
47% of patients who attend our A&E Department as considered as minors, and could be treated in a different location.
Congestion in our department for those who have something very minor can have major implications for those who have a serious injury.
We are seeing an increase in the number of patients coming into the Department who could have been seen in a Minor Injury Unit, Urgent Care Centre, by their GP, Pharmacist or self treat at home.
Previous campaigns to minimise the potential increase in attendances due to ‘winter pressures’ have had varied success.
A different approach involving and working with key stakeholders such as GPs, our local CCGs and NHS 111 and targeting tailored messages to the highest users of A&E has become part of our strategy.
Working with NHS Elect we put a video together to highlight other options for urgent care treatment for our patients with the aim to reduce A&E attendance for minor injuries by deflecting and redirecting patients to other healthcare providers that more appropriately matches the urgent care need of the patient.
It was important for us not to reinforce the message 'Do not come to A&E' but rather provide the necessary information for our patients to stop and think and make the decision themselves about where to receive treatment to get the best patient experience.
We have seen some reduction in our Type-3 minors since the launch of the video.
With limited resources and increasing demands on A&E through inappropriate use, this has been a positive outcome in limiting the negative effects congestion in A&E can have on our hospital as a whole. https://www.facebook.com/DSTCollege/videos/1185119801603964/