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What happens when festive indulgence goes too far? Do people get injured ice skating? What's the Boxing Day hospital "phenomenon"? Express got an insight into life at Jersey's A&E Department, as health workers gear up for what they predict will be a very busy period...
Maria 'Masha' Finn, Emergency Medicine Consultant and Clinical Lead for the Emergency Department, spoke about the pressures of the festive season on the latest episode of the Bailiwick Express podcast, which you can find at the bottom of this article.
The rush, she explained, actually begins before Christmas.
"It gets really busy because schools shut and we see lots of ice skating and sporting activities. In the winter season, there is also a big rise in respiratory illnesses in both kids and adults. And elderly patients might find other illnesses really overwhelming because already their immune system might be weakened."
Christmas Day quietens, she added, but then comes the Boxing Day rush – which Ms Finn described as a "bitter" day.
"GP practices are shut and people have eaten too much at Christmas. Then, people sometimes come in to get checked out for things they might have left unchecked for a couple of weeks because they wanted to get to Christmas.
"For example, some have chest pains that they've left and dismissed, but a chat with family on Christmas Day will convince them to come in. It's a well-published phenomenon in many countries."
The Health Department recently shared statistics which showed that one in five patients who attended Accident and Emergency in the last six months could have accessed healthcare elsewhere, and spikes earlier in the year urged warnings that Islanders should only use the department if it was a "genuine medical emergency".
Pictured: the new signage at the Hospital.
Ms Finn also referred to the new signage which reminds Islanders to consider "alternative services" such as pharmacies or GP surgeries, if their injury or illness is not serious or life-threatening – for example, if they want to renew their prescription or are looking for a check-up, Ms Finn said.
However, she stressed: "We would never say we will not see you. We are there and open 24/7. We're there to see essentially anybody who comes through the door. With the new sign, we're trying to educate people and tell them that if you are not a priority, you will be waiting for quite a long time and it might be better if you find an alternative option, because that would be quicker."
"If anybody doesn't feel well, we're here at Christmas, we're still open, we're still staffed. We're here to look after anybody who feels they're not well, and they need seeing."
You can listen to the full podcast below – or wherever you get your podcasts...
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