Hospital Campaign raises awareness of where to go when ill
‘Know where to go when ill’ is the message to patients and public, as part of the next phase of the ‘Are You Winter Ready Campaign’ – a pilot initiative between Dublin Midlands Hospital Group (DMHG) and Tallaght Hospital.
This phase of the campaign is focused on raising awareness of where to go and how to access health services in the local community. With hospitals and their emergency departments (EDs) now entering the busiest period of the year, it is more important than ever for people to be aware of the community health services available to them in circumstances where their injuries and symptoms are less severe.
The key messages of the initiative are captured in an infographic and poster setting out all the options open to patients which has been distributed to GPs and community health services in the Tallaght Hospital catchment area and is available for download on http://www.tallaghthospital.ie/
Health services available to patients and public in the Tallaght area include:
Local pharmacies, who can provide support and advice to patients dealing with many common winter illnesses such as colds, the flu or winter vomiting bug. They are an important community health resource. Many of these pharmacies also have extensive opening hours, making them widely accessible.
GPs are another vital resource in diagnosing and treating patients with a broad range of conditions such as chest infections. They can also provide prescriptions for medications to effectively treat a range of conditions.
Ensuring that you are registered with your local GP is also an essential starting point for all.
Linked to having a GP, is the need to know your local GP ‘out of hours’ contact details. Patients conditions can often flare up or worsen at night or over the weekend, so again knowing where to go for treatment in the community outside of hours is also very important, and Finally, with flu now circulating in the community both GPs and pharmacists can administer the flu vaccination to increase your protection against this virus.
