Public Asked To Help As DGRI Remains On ‘Red Status’

Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary (DGRI) remains on ‘Red Status’ today – with the public being asked to help support ongoing work to address a high level of admissions.

Before turning to the hospital’s Emergency Department, people are being asked to consider if there are more appropriate first points of contact when seeking medical assistance.
These can include community pharmacies as well as GP practices.

 

Medical Director Dr Kenneth Donaldson said: “We are extremely grateful to the public for their support as we work to address extremely high levels of emergency department referrals and GP referrals at DGRI – with a lot of respiratory issues and cases of flu.
“Yesterday, our escalation protocol took us to Red Status which resulted in four outpatient clinics being suspended and some elective surgeries being postponed to meet this increase in the most effective way possible and the resulting demand for beds.
“Today the impact will be slightly less, but we are still dealing with an extremely high level of admissions. We remain on Red Status, and would very much appreciate people continuing to give thought as to the best first place to seek help.”

Although a number of patients at DGRI continue to be treated for flu, there has not been a case where the infection has been passed on to another patient within the hospital.
And the hospital’s Infection Control Team credit this in part to the single rooms for patients introduced in the new £213 million facility which opened last month.

Nationally, hospitals are continuing to deal with thousands of extra admissions, with Scottish Health Secretary Shona Robison having acknowledged the impact of an ‘unprecedented’ combination of trauma cases and patients seeking help for flu-like symptoms.

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Medical Director Kenneth Donaldson is asking the public to consider the best point of first contact when seeking medical assistance