Western Trust Winter Preparedness Plan 2024/25

Introduction

While our services experience pressures throughout the year, we know that the winter months are a particularly demanding time across primary care and hospital and community services.  In order to protect our services, we prepare an annual Winter Plan setting out arrangements to manage the predicted increase in demand for our services, particularly within our Emergency Departments.

This information is to help us share with the public, our plans to support delivery of our health and social care services over the winter months.

For information on how to access our Emergency Departments, Minor Injuries and Urgent Care Services, with more detail, visit the ‘Emergency Department and Urgent Care Services – Best For You’ Page.

 

Winter Preparedness Plan Actions 2024/25

Access information on our Winter Preparedness Plan Actions 2024/25

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• Context

  All Trusts have been asked to develop a winter plan which is based around three regionally agreed priorities as follows:

  • Maximising ambulance capacity
  • Reducing time spent by patients in emergency departments awaiting clinical decision and next stage of care
  • Timely hospital discharge for patients who are medically fit for discharge.

  Our winter plan also sets out some of the other actions we are taking to help us manage over the winter months.  These include plans to protect planned assessment and treatments, our staff health and wellbeing initiatives and comprehensive oversight arrangements.

  During this period the roll out of ‘encompass’, the new digital health record system for Northern Ireland, will continue and there may be some disruption to service delivery as we prepare our staff and processes for this change.  We will work to ensure this is minimised as much as possible.

• Delivery of Services

  During the coming months, we may find it difficult to provide all of our planned services whilst also managing the expected increase in demand for unscheduled or critical care.  Our plan includes steps we will take to minimise any impact as much as possible, such as focusing on delivering our Service Delivery Plan targets and ensuring we make best use of capacity in our dedicated elective care centre in Omagh and the elective overnight stay centre at South West Acute Hospital.

  Patient safety will always be our priority, whilst we balance these risks.

• Timely Patient Discharge

  Across our hospital sites, we are anticipating an increase in demand for inpatient beds.  Therefore, timely discharge of patients once medically fit, remains key to ensuring patients can be accommodated when admission is required.  We have developed plans to make best use of domiciliary care capacity and have reconfigured community beds to best meet patient needs. Despite these best efforts, there will be times when patients will have to wait in our Emergency Departments for a bed to become available in a ward.

• Communication Plan

  The Western Trust has a developed a communications plan which will include publicity campaigns through a range of media to keep the public updated and informed throughout the winter period.  This will include other options to seek help and advice which may help to avoid the need to attend the Emergency Department if appropriate.

• How you can help

  If you become ill or injured and need medical help or advice, choose well by using the right health service for your needs.

  Play your part help our Health and Care Service

  Please choose the service most appropriate for your symptoms

  Self Care – to treat an ache, pain, upset stomach, cough or cold, get plenty of rest, take simple pain killers if needed and use over-the-counter medicines.

  Your local pharmacist – they are there to give confidential, expert advice and can treat a number of minor ailments such as aches and pains, skin conditions, allergies, eye conditions or upset stomach and emergency contraception.

  Your GP – they will give expert medical advice and diagnosis, referring you for further care or consultation as needed

  Primary Eyecare Assessment and Referral Service – treats sudden eye conditions such as red eyes, sudden reduction in vision, eye pain or a foreign body in the eye. More information

  Mental Healthcare – if you are experiencing mental health difficulties there are a range of services available to help you. More information

  Emergency Dental Treatment – if patients have an urgent dental need then they can follow the advice on the HSC website

  Minor Injuries Unit – treats injuries that are not life threatening such as broken bones, sprains, minor scalp wounds and suturing of minor wounds. Our Minor Injuries Unit is available in:

  • Altnagelvin Hospital and
  • Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex Urgent care and treatment Centre. For more information and detail on these services, click here: Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex | Western Health & Social Care Trust

  Emergency Department – provides the highest level of emergency ease for patients, especially those with acute illnesses or trauma, such as heart attacks, stroke, serious accidents or head injuries. Call 999 when there is a risk to life or serious injury.

  Your support in choosing the service most appropriate for your symptoms is vital at this critical time

• Emergency Department Average Waiting Times

  Emergency Department average waiting times

  Hospital emergency departments treat and care for people with a serious injury or life-threatening condition. When you go for treatment, staff will assess your medical condition. They treat patients with a serious injury or life-threatening condition first. Waiting times can change quickly.

  Waiting times at emergency departments can change quickly without warning. Visit the NI Direct page to view Emergency Department average waiting times – listing average waiting times of patients in the previous four hour period.

  Note: This information is updated hourly.