A NEW service to ensure patients can get "direct access to the right care" and avoid busy waiting rooms is being implemented at the South West Acute Hospital's (SWAH) Emergency Department (ED) from next week.

The ‘Phone First’ service is being rolled out to cover the Western Trust’s Altnagelvin and the SWAH’s EDs, and the Urgent Care and Treatment Unit in Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex Hospital, with effect from 8am on Monday, January 25.

It will run from 8am to midnight, seven days per week.

Speaking about the new service, the Director of Acute Services at the Western Trust, Geraldine McKay, said: “The 'Phone First' service aims to ensure that patients can get direct access to the right care, avoiding busy waiting rooms and staying safe.

“The service is designed for patients, including children, who are feeling unwell and considering travelling to an ED or Minor Injuries Unit with an injury or illness that requires urgent treatment, but is not immediately life-threatening.

“When you call the 'Phone First' service, your condition - or that of the person you are calling on behalf of - will be clinically assessed and arrangements made for you to access the most appropriate service to your needs.

"At present, units in the Western Trust are only offering booked appointments for minor injuries in adults. You may receive telephone advice on minor illness via the 'Phone First' service, or be directed to see your GP or to attend the ED."

The ‘Phone First’ service will operate from 8am to 12 midnight, seven days a week using the following contact options: ring 0300 020 6000, or use the text relay number, 0870 240 5152.

For all emergencies that are life-threatening, always call 999 immediately. This can include for a stroke, heart attack, loss of consciousness, breathing difficulties, severe bleeding or major trauma.

It is important to note that EDs will always be a safe place for patients, and if they attend an ED without ringing first, they will not be turned away.

If their condition is not life-threatening, they may have to wait longer or be signposted to another service.

The Head of General Medical Services at the Health and Social Care Board, Dr. Margaret O’Brien, explained why the roll-out of the 'Phone First' service was so important.

She said: “With the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in our community, it is more important than ever that patients who need emergency treatment aren’t asked to wait in crowded waiting rooms, where they may be exposed to the virus.

"The ‘Phone First’ service aims to keep our overstretched EDs for emergencies, whilst ensuring rapid access, assessment and treatment on a 24/7 basis for patients who need urgent care.”