NHS urges Swindon people to stock medicine cabinets ahead of Jubilee Weekend

By Barrie Hudson - 30 May 2022

Health

Swindon people are being urged by health chiefs to treat minor conditions at home over the Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend.

The NHS says doing this - and stocking up on basic over-the-counter medicines - will help to keep the service as clear as possible for more urgent cases.
Useful items to stock up on include paracetamol, indigestion tablets, antihistamines, anti-diarrhoea tablets and digital thermometers.
GP practices across the region, as well as other NHS services, will be closed on Thursday and Friday, 2 and 3 June for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. 
Selected pharmacies will remain open on the Bank Holidays, as will urgent and emergency care services, including NHS 111. 
Dr Amanda Webb, Chief Medical Officer for the soon-to-be established BSW Integrated Care Board, said: “As a clinician, I can’t emphasise enough how important and valuable good self-care can be, especially during a Bank Holiday weekend, which is always an incredibly busy time for the health and care system. 
“Self-care not only allows people to manage their symptoms at home, which, for most, is a much more attractive option than sitting in a clinical waiting room, it also enables our hard-working frontline teams to focus all their attention on those people who will most benefit from it. 
“So, while we clearly want everybody to enjoy a celebratory weekend, especially after the last two years, we can all play a part in reducing pressure on our already stretched NHS teams by taking a sensible approach to the festivities and stocking up on those medicine box staples that can really make a difference.”
According to the NHS, new data recorded over the last two Bank Holiday weekends has shown that hundreds of people who contacted NHS 111 could have saved time by managing their symptoms through simple self-care methods. Over the course of the Easter weekend, 1,417 calls to 111 ended with the callers being advised to treat their condition at home, which is more than a quarter of all calls made during the four-day break. 
A similar picture was also seen during the Early May Bank Holiday, when a further 815 callers – 23 per cent of all calls made that weekend – were told that self-care would the most appropriate treatment plan for their symptoms. 
Hospital emergency departments, along with the region’s urgent treatment centres, will be open throughout the Jubilee weekend for people experiencing serious health issues such as heavy bleeding, loss of consciousness, chest pain and broken bones. 
NHS 111 will be available as usual online and over the phone, with the service ready to provide quick advice, information and, where necessary, details of where to go for further support. Opening times for the selected pharmacies staying open on Thursday 2 and Friday 3 June can be found online at www.bswccg.nhs.uk 
Elsewhere, people can access general health advice from the NHS website by visiting www.nhs.uk

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