Unnecessary visits to Accident and Emergency costs NHS Bury over £1 million every year. This is money that could be spent elsewhere to improve health in Bury.

In a bid to stem this and other unnecessary waste, NHS Bury is urging patients to choose carefully which service best meets their needs through a new campaign entitled Care about the cost.

A&E teams are faced with having to deal with cases such as coughs and colds, backache and upset stomachs on a daily basis – conditions that could be dealt with through a trip to the high street chemist or by visiting other local services.  Other cases have included patients with wasp stings and small insect bites, small cuts to fingers injured while washing up, minor stomach irritations and back pain that has been ongoing for several months.

Around a third of visitors to A&E at Fairfield General Hospital could be treated more quickly and more appropriately by another NHS service. 

By choosing and using the right services, patients can expect to be seen or treated more quickly, whilst keeping emergency services free for those patients with serious or life threatening illnesses. Choosing the right service also helps to make sure that the limited NHS resources available to Bury are being spent wisely. Care about the cost is win win, for the patient, and for the NHS. 

The Care about the cost public information campaign will be gathering speed in the run up to (and beyond) the winter period, a traditionally busy time of the year for A&E and the NHS in general.

The campaign focuses on the costs of services, where money is wasted and what patients can practically do to help make the most of their local NHS.