The local NHS, Leeds City Council and partner organisations have worked together to develop an information campaign and series of brief films aimed at helping people stay well over the winter months and reducing pressures on hospitals and ambulances in Leeds.
The Leeds Stay Well This Winter campaign aims to help people make the right choices when it comes to their health and the support they receive in the community.
This week a leaflet was delivered to every household in Leeds helping people prepare for the season, offering details on where to find support and advice and guiding residents on where to seek healthcare if needed.
A series of short films has been produced, featuring NHS and council professionals, offering details and advice on how they can help people get ready for winter and look out for those who are unwell. Produced by the Medical Illustration team at the city’s hospitals, the films will be shared via NHS and council social media platforms, in clinics, and council facilities.
The partners have set up a special Stay Well This Winter website which can be found at StayWellLeeds.org.uk where there is a range of information about how to prevent illness and prepare for the cold weather.
Professor Suzanne Hinchliffe, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Nurse at Leeds TEACHING hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Year on year we have seen numbers of people attending our emergency departments at the LGI and St James’s increase, adding pressure to already busy services. This winter we are working with colleagues across the city to do what we can to stop people becoming unwell in the first place, by keeping warm, stocking up on over the counter medications and avoiding slips, trips and falls through preventative measures. We also want to ensure that people who have more minor conditions are accessing the right NHS services.”
Councillor Rebecca Charlwood, Chair of Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “Now December is here and the cold weather to match, it is really important for us to look out for each other and ourselves. The Stay Well Leeds website has loads of helpful ideas and information to let you know where to go and what to do to help stay well this winter.”