A new campaign has been launched to show residents all the different services available to help them in a bid to tackle pressure on our local health services.
Working with NHS partners, the Council has produced a film to highlight all the options available to the public outside of Accident and Emergency (A&E). This film shares how people can get seen and treated faster by Using The Right Service.
Jimmy, A&E Nurse who appears in the video said: “Most people know that other services are available but aren’t aware of how accessible they are. As much as I love seeing hundreds of different faces every day, A&E isn’t always the answer, and lots of people can be seen faster by visiting Urgent Care or a Pharmacy.
“We want people to be in the right waiting room, not sitting for hours in the wrong one.”
This film involved no actors and no artificial sets. The council spent three days filming nine NHS workers in six locations to make this possible. Below are the staff representing their workforce in the film (in order of appearance).
Jimmy, A&E at Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Bill, Blackheath Pharmacy
Darshita, Gallions Reach Health Centre
Eugenia, Gallions Reach Health Centre
Maryam, 111 call handler
Yasmin, 999 call handler
Callum, Urgent Care Centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Lillian, Oxleas
Joe, Oxleas
Cllr Mariam Lolavar, Cabinet Member for Health, Adult Social Care and Borough of Sanctuary: “Austerity, Covid-19 and now the cost of living crisis have all had an impact on people’s health. Combined with years of underinvestment in our health service we are seeing increased demand and pressure on services including on our hospital A&E.
“The key message here is we want to make sure people are aware of the range of local NHS services available to them in Greenwich. The right service is out there for you, and using better alternatives could prevent long wait times in A&E or difficulty in getting a GP appointment.
“Every one of us has a part to play here to ensure those in the most need can access the health services they need. So please help us spread the message.”
Sarah McClinton, Greenwich Place Executive Lead for NHS South East London ICB said: “The NHS Use The Right Service campaign began in London and has since expanded to Hampshire and Southern England. This is such an important message and we felt it was time to make a big deal of it in Greenwich.
“I’d like to thank all of our NHS staff who volunteered on their day off or stayed on at the end of their shift to make this video possible.”
The film will premiere at 11am on Tuesday 27 August. Watch along on YouTube.
