North West Ambulance Service sends out a reminder about repeat prescriptions.
It's as services across Cumbria are expected to be stretched across the festive period.
As New year, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) calls on the public in Lancashire and Cumbria to plan ahead and ensure they have an ample supply of necessary medications.
Winter traditionally brings additional demand for health services. Specifically, a spike in people who contact NHS 111 over the bank holidays, and many of those calls are from people who have run out of medication.
Statistics from last winter (December 2022 – February 2023) reveal that in Lancashire and Cumbria, NWAS received more than 4,000 calls to the NHS 111 service for repeat prescriptions, making it the second-highest reason for calling during that period.
Paul Johnston, Senior Service Delivery Manager for NHS 111 service at NWAS, emphasises the importance of planning ahead for medication needs, stating: "Winter is always a busy time for our NHS 111 service, especially during the festive period between Christmas and New Year. This generally leads to longer wait times for people who have called the service.
"Running out of medication can have serious consequences, and we want to remind the public to order their repeat prescriptions in advance to avoid unnecessary stress and potential health risks."
To streamline the process, NWAS encourages the use of the NHS app for convenient online prescription orders. It's hoped planning ahead can alleviate the strain on healthcare services and ensure that individuals have the medications they need, even during the busy winter months.