A plea for patience

OVER the Christmas period, emergency departments (EDs) will be under extreme pressures, and Dr Brendan Lavery, consultant at Altnagelvin ED, is pleading with the public who attend to “please have patience.”

“EDs do not work on a first-come, first-served basis,” said Dr Lavery, “and this can be very frustrating for patients who arrive and want to be seen quickly.”

Patients are seen in order of the seriousness of the medical problem they present.

“When you arrive, a nurse will assess your condition and then prioritise you accordingly,” explained Dr Lavery, “and this is what we call triaging.”

“This might mean that someone who arrives after you gets seen before you.”

If you unfortunately end up attending an ED over the holiday period, please have some consideration for the staff and other patients.

“We just ask everyone to understand that if someone is being seen before you, it is is because they are in need of more urgent attention.

“Please have patience and know we are trying our best to provide the appropriate care and attention for everyone we see,” he concluded.