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   Video - Turkey Tales
Don’t be an A&E Turkey this Christmas!” say NHS emergency teams
As 999 and A&E teams gear up for a “Mad Friday” double-whammy, BBC1 “Apprentice” star, TV actors and NHS staff back comedy films highlighting the dangers of drink-related injuries and incorrect use of services. Noorul Choudhury - former contender on BBC1’s The Apprentice - stars as an increasingly-aggravated businessman forced to listen as a woman lists the drink-related injuries ailing others in the waiting room. Despite her disgust at their excesses, she sees nothing wrong with expecting doctors to perform the “public service” of cutting up her oversized frozen turkey using their powerful clinical saws. In the second video, friends of young man-about-town Rick are enjoying a drinking game in the cafe, but it is only when Rick himself arrives that you see they are actually in an A&E waiting room. The drinking game has already gone wrong for him – and doctors can only advise him to wait until the black marker pen on his forehead wears off. All of the characters’ stories are based on real-life cases. Paramedics and A&E staff will face their busiest time of the year over the next two weeks. Around 40% of all A&E attendances are for alcohol-related injuries and illnesses. And at Christmas, alcohol-related A&E attendances increase dramatically. Festive parties make the last Friday night before Christmas notorious as the busiest shift of the year for 999 teams. This year, Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, meaning hospitals and ambulance services are preparing for two of these “Mad Fridays”, on both 16 and 23 December. As the videos show, drink-related injuries can often raise a smile, but they are no joke to those who suffer them. Those featured in the videos include a woman whose attempts to photocopy her behind have ended in disaster, and a man who has had both a fight and a nasty fall while drunkenly finding his way home. Although avoidable, the injuries these characters have suffered do require urgent attention at hospital. But across England, as many as a quarter of all patients who visit A&E should be treated by their pharmacist or GP instead, or do not need any form of medical intervention at all. These unnecessary attendances pile even more pressure on 999 teams. The Christmas Specials, called “Turkey Tales” and “Who am I?” follow on from the series of three films released by NHS North West at the beginning of winter, which have received almost 30,000 Youtube views in just five weeks. These feature women expecting urgent treatment for botched false nails, a pushy mum desperate for her son to be seen by senior doctors for his diarrhoea, and even a man hoping A&E staff will turn their hands to helping out his poorly dog! Members of the Manchester School of Acting once again gave up their time for free to appear in the latest videos, which were filmed on location at Central Manchester Hospitals. Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. |
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