NEDOC service urging patients to have prescriptions in order
NEDOC GPs managed over 4,000 calls and took more than 5,800 calls last year
The North East Doctor On-Call service is expecting a very busy Christmas period and is urging patients to ensure they have their regular prescriptions from their own GPs before the holiday period.
NEDOC provides urgent out-of-hours GP care for patients of participating practices in counties Cavan, Monaghan, Meath and Louth.
Operations Manager with NEDOC, Arlene Fitzsimons stresses that the doctor on call service provides urgent out of hours GP care when your own surgery is closed in the evening and advises people not to call for routine matters that can wait until their GP surgery is open.
“NEDOC is not a routine replacement for your own daytime GP. If patients have routine issues they should make an appointment with their own daytime GP who is best placed to manage their long-term health.
“However patients should contact NEDOC (1850 777 911) for urgent medical concerns when their GP surgery is closed. However, in the event of an emergency or if your situation deteriorates, you should contact the emergency services immediately on 112 or 999.
“Last Christmas NEDOC GPs managed over 4,000 calls to the service and took more than 5,800 calls in total. This year with a four-day Christmas break and three-day New Year, we expect to be busier than ever and patients may face delays getting through to the service at peak times or waiting for a call back.”
Ms Fitzsimons urged people to check that their first aid boxes are well stocked to treat minor ailments at home without having to contact NEDOC.
In the event that patients experience delays Ms Fitzsimons advised patients not to walk into a centre without an appointment. “Patients who arrive at the centre with no appointment will be told to ring 1850 777 911 and an appointment will be arranged for them if necessary and they will advised to return for that appointment.
NEDOC is not a walk-in service. This is especially pertinent during Covid-19. Patients should also remember that GP surgeries will be open as normal on non-bank holiday days such as Christmas Eve, New Years Eve and the days in between from Tuesday 29th.”
Since the onset of Covid-19, NEDOC has been following the advice of NPHET to minimise the spread of infection between doctors, patients and staff, and has been managing the vast majority of patient consultations via telephone.
Phone consultations are virtually the same as a face-to-face consultation as the GP takes a history, assesses symptoms, makes a diagnosis and advises of appropriate treatment. Patients who do not have a medical or GP visit card are charged a fee of €50 for a GP phone consultation or €65 for a face-to-face visit in the treatment centre.
The HSE is reminding people that have Covid-19 symptoms of the necessity to isolate themselves from everyone and contact a GP.
If you’re concerned about any symptoms, stay at home and contact your GP. If you’re waiting for a test or the results of a test, stay at home, away from others. Your household contacts must also stay at home while you are waiting for the result of your test.
If you’re the close contact of a case – stay at home and restrict your movements for 14 days.
If you receive a positive test result – you need to stay at home, and isolate yourself from others for 10 days. For more information go to www.hse.ie/coronavirus.