People across East Sussex are urged to stay safe and to choose well if they need medical treatment as the county faces more snow and freezing emperatures.
"The severe weather conditions have led to an increased demand for health and social care services and staff are responding extremely well in difficult circumstances," said Mike Wood, Chief Executive of NHS East Sussex Downs and Weald and NHS Hastings and Rother.
With services under pressure, the public is urged to check to see how health services are affected before setting out and to choose well from all of the options available, including local pharmacies and Minor Injury Units.
Home visits to patients by our community nursing teams are being prioritised.
- Local update on how services across Sussex are affected:
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SECAmb) is focusing its efforts on getting to those patients who need help the most. The trust’s efforts to get to patients are being significantly hampered due to the snowy and icy conditions. While the number of calls is not significantly increasing, the trust is struggling to get to emergencies quickly. SECAmb said it may take a little longer than normal to reach people in areas where snow is particularly heavy or roads are icy.
All outpatient clinics have been cancelled on Thursday at Eastbourne District General Hospital and the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards. Hospital managers say they want to ensure that patients do not feel they have to make journeys to our hospitals until it is safe to travel. However the hospitals will continue to see emergency cases. Please call or vist their website (www. www.esht.nhs.uk) to get the latest information.
Patients with appointments at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath are being advised to call before setting out. A hospital spokeswoman says every effort is being made to get staff in, including using 4x4 vehicles to pick them up, but it was likely many services would be cancelled.
For updated information, patients can also check the homepage of the website at www.bsuh.nhs.uk
Royal Sussex County Hospital (01273) 696955.
General enquiries x 4993
Appointment enquiries x 4994
The Princess Royal Hospital (01444) 441881
General enquiries x 8124 / 5760
Appointment enquiries x 8608
The community hospitals in Lewes, Uckfield, Crowborough, Bexhill and Rye are open as normal, as are the Minor Injuries Units at Lewes, Uckfield and Crowborough (these are open from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week).
Information for the public on choosing well:
* Use your local NHS Walk In Centre (Eastbourne Station Health Centre, Eastbourne and Hastings Walk In Centre, Station Plaza Health Centre, Hastings), or your local Minor Injuries Unit, unless your injury or illness is life threatening. The Walk In Centres and MIUs are all open 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm.
* Phone NHS Direct for advice on tel 0845 4547
* Seek advice from your local pharmacy. Please note that a pharmacist will need to be on site to dispense any medications. Phone ahead to check that your local pharmacy is fully operational.
* Some GP surgeries, particularly the smaller ones, have been affected by the snow, so you should call ahead to confirm opening arrangements. Some routine, non-urgent appointments may be cancelled. The majority of people should still be able to access a doctor if they have an urgent problem. During normal surgery hours, you should ring their usual surgery number for advice or assistance.
* When GP surgeries are closed, in the evenings and at weekends, you can contact the out-of-hours GP service by calling your surgery and listening to the details on their ansafone message. Alternatively you can also call NHS Direct on tel 0845 46 47 for details.
