Members of the public are being urged to manage common winter conditions at home with self-care, following a significant rise in the number of people seeking help from the local NHS.
Calls to NHS 111 and GP practices, as well as the ambulance service, from people wanting help for simple flu-like symptoms have increased since the Christmas break, which has left some patients in need of genuine urgent care unable to get through.
With this current wave of flu cases expected to peak in the next few days, people who find themselves under the weather are being urged to practise effective self-care.
Flu-like symptoms, such as headaches, fevers and sore throats, can be managed at home through a combination of resting, staying hydrated and making use of common medicine box items, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.
As antibiotics are ineffective against flu, people seeking advice should avoid calling their GP practice and instead make use of NHS 111 online, which is available at www.111.nhs.uk.
Connie Timmins, Lead Nurse for Infection Prevention and Control, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, said: “Illnesses such as flu, along with coughs, colds and sore throats, are common at this time of year, and we’re currently seeing that play out across our region.
“While it’s important for people not to ignore their symptoms, the best remedies are often those that take place in the home, such as staying in bed, drinking lots of water and regularly taking paracetamol.
“When more people come forward and seek help for minor symptoms, it often prevents our frontline teams from getting to those patients most in need, and that is what we are seeing happen right now.”
Pharmacies across the region are open as usual again following the Christmas bank holidays, and can provide help and support for most minor seasonal conditions.
Medication for a number of common illnesses, including sinusitis, urine infections and shingles, can now be prescribed by a pharmacist, meaning people with symptoms that could be one of these conditions no longer have to make an appointment with their GP practice.
People who find themselves in genuine need of emergency care, such as those with chest pains, significant bleeding or broken bones, should not put off visiting the closest hospital emergency department or calling an ambulance via 999.
