Ambulance strike: Only call 999 in an emergency, says Shropshire nursing boss

Ambulance strike action is due to take place today and we along with our partners in the health and social care system are working hard to keep our community and patients at our hospitals safe while delivering the best possible care.

If you have an appointment please attend as planned unless we contact you to reschedule.

Key services will carry on, so please do not be put off seeking urgent or emergency care if you need it.

Remember if you are feeling unwell, choosing the most appropriate service will make sure you get the best possible care. If you are thinking about attending A&E please consider whether our emergency department is the right place to go for the care you need.

A&E is for genuinely life-threatening emergencies – for example chest pains or severe bleeding or burns. If you have a life-threatening illness or injury please continue to dial 999.

But if your condition is not life-threatening, please think of the different treatment options available and visit your local pharmacy or NHS 111 online which will advise you where to go for advice or treatment. More details are available on our website sath.nhs.uk

Our hospitals continue to experience extreme pressure and I would also ask patients to only be accompanied by one person when attending our Emergency Departments to maximise space.

We also re-introduced mandatory mask-wearing, unless medically exempt, in our hospitals, as Covid-19, flu and other respiratory infection rates in our local communities rise and we continue to see new cases in our hospitals. We try to do all that we can to keep each other and our patients safe. Thank you for your support.

It’s fantastic to share the news that our Trust will be one of 10 organisations to take part in the first Midlands Research collaboration which will see £3.4m invested in world-leading research that supports patient safety in maternal and acute care services.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC) brings together NHS trusts, universities, and private business for the research.

Our Trust is taking part in the maternal care element of the research which will help to improve the care delivered to expectant mothers across the region.

Congratulations too to our Procurement Team for scooping a national award. Shropshire Healthcare Procurement Service, a shared system service based at our Trust, has been named Procurement Team of the Year in its industry awards – the Health Care Supply Association.

Well done to the team which has shown that its prime focus is making and supporting improvements which benefit our patients. It is a wonderful achievement.

The valuable insight and perspective of patients and carers is so important in helping us shape our future services.

If any patient or carer who has accessed services at our Trust during 2021 or 2022 would like to share their views please do apply and be part of our Speciality Patient Experience Groups. This is a fantastic opportunity for us all work together to help improve the care we provide to our communities.

The speciality groups include the areas of medicine, emergency, surgery, women’s health, maternity, and children and young people, support services and corporate services. These groups will work with services across the specialities to represent the voice of hospital patients.

We would love to hear from you if you can commit approximately three hours a month to support the work. If you are interested in learning more, please email sath.patientexperience@nhs.net or contact 01743 261000 ext 3032.