NHS in Shropshire urging public to 'play their part' to avoid critical incident

The NHS in Shropshire is urging the public to 'play their part' in avoiding the Trust having to declare another critical incident this winter.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is testing it's readiness for winter.

What is a 'critical incident'?

Last winter, the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust was forced to declare a critical incident at it's hospitals, because of the overwhelming pressure being felt by winter bugs.

A 'critical incident' will be declared when the level of disruption results in an NHS Trust temporarily or permanently losing its ability to deliver critical services.

It requires special measures and support from other agencies, to restore normal operating functions.

'Vaccinate our most vulnerable'

Jessica Harvey helps chair the GP board in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. She told us why it is important we do our bit:

"We need to make sure the pressures are where they should be, so that means not going to A&E if you have a minor illness and using 111 in that situation instead.

"We want to vaccinate our most vulnerable from the flu. However, if there is not an uptake for that vaccination, we will end up with a huge increase in the numbers of flu," she said.

'Prepare as best as they can'

Jessica told us she cannot say for certain whether the Trust will avoid declaring a critical incident this year:

"What I can say is that I feel our Trust has made huge amounts of effort to try and prepare as best as they can for whatever this winter throws at us.

"I want people to have confidence in our healthcare systems. Do not be afraid to seek advice, because this is not our first rodeo. We are trying to get better each time," she said.

Lessons learnt...

Jessica told us the Trust has learnt lessons from last year: "We are looking at things like having a virtual ward so that patients do not even need to come to hospital but have treatment at home.

"We are also looking at preventative measures. For example, if you have long-term lung disease, we may offer patients a rescue pack.

"It means they do not have to contact the GP or go to an emergency department because they already have the treatment at home," she said.