A family of seven-foot tall “Yellow Men” appeared in Brixton this week as part of the NHS campaign telling people to only go to A&E if it is absolutely necessary.
The statues, which were placed in St Matthew’s Garden on Effra Road, portrayed several ailments and will point out to people alternative health care services in the area.
A&Es across the UK have been struggling to cope with the demand and waiting times continue to grow, especially in winter. David Cameron announced last month to give A&E departments an additional £150million boost after the initial £250million amid warnings of a repetition of last year’s winter crisis.
National surveys show that 39 per cent of people who visit the A&E could be treated elsewhere. Around 1500 patients attend a South-London A&E every day which means that, when the national number is applied, 585 attendances could have been avoided.
Lambeth GP and Chair of NHS Lambeth Clinical Commissioning group, Dr Adrian McLachlan said: “We hope that this campaign will grab people’s attention and help them to understand that A&E is not always the answer. When people have a minor illness or injury, there are alternative places for them to go if they need to.
“In winter when there are more bugs going around, it is important that people understand that in many cases a visit to your local pharmacist for advice and rest at home will get you better as quickly as anything else.”
Local healthcare alternatives mentioned by the campaign include pharmacies, Urgent Care Centre at Guy’s Hospital and Gracefield Gardens Walk-in Centre at 2-8 Gracefield Gardens, Streatham.
Visit www.notalwaysAandE.co.uk to find the nearest service to you that can help treat your illness or injury.
