Southern Trust planning ahead to ease pressure over winter

by Gráinne Connolly

The Southern Trust says it's planning ahead to help tackle major challenges it may be faced with this winter. 

The trust recently recruited 238 extra staff following a new campaign to increase the number of domicillary care workers. 

Shane Devlin, the Chief Executive of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust says, “The Southern Trust has one of the fastest growing populations in Northern Ireland and the number of people attending our emergency departments and Minor Injuries Unit has increased by 20% in the last five years.

"This Trust and others continue to face serious pressures particularly during winter when there are more ill patients who need admitted to hospital.

“The Trust is planning ahead to help ease pressure on services this winter - working to open extra beds; ensuring our patient journey through the hospital is as efficient as possible and managing planned surgery to limit the number of last minute cancellations.

“We have also done a lot of work in recent years to develop alternatives to hospital admission as there is a lot of evidence that people recover faster in familiar surroundings - the new Ambulatory Emergency Care Unit and Direct Assessment Unit, the Older Person Assessment Unit and Acute Care at Home are just some examples of this work.”

Mr Devlin has also appealed for the public’s help in making services work better this winter:

“I am asking people to work with us this winter by not coming to the Emergency Department unless it is an emergency and to take friends/ relatives home from hospital as soon as possible after discharge.

“Also please don’t come to any of our hospitals/facilities if you (or anybody else in your house) have cold/flu, vomiting, diarrhoea and infections as this can spread infections among vulnerable patients and the staff caring for them.