‘Tis the Season to Be Safe!
Vhi SwiftCare Clinics ask everyone to put Safety at the top of the Christmas Wishlist
22nd December 2016 – The Vhi SwiftCare Clinics are urging members of the public to avoid the wrong type of Christmas break and stay safe in the coming days. Christmas is the busiest time of the year for the Vhi SwiftCare Clinics with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day traditionally reaching record levels for the urgent care clinics.
In 2015, nearly 850 patients were treated in the Vhi SwiftCare Clinics between December 25 and 27, with patients suffering from a number of Christmas related injuries including cuts, falls and burns. With this in mind, Dr Michelle DeBrun, Medical Director, Vhi SwiftCare Clinics gives some advice on how to stay safe and well this Christmas:
Avoid slip, trips and falls:
We see many people presenting with sprains and potential breaks following falls at this time of year. This is down to a number of reasons including tripping over light wires, falling over new toys and the hazards created by furniture moved to accommodate trees etc. Our advice is to ensure any wiring run across floors or walk-ways is taped down, any debris such as wrapping paper is cleared away quickly and to ensure spills are cleared quickly. Beware when using ladders to put up lights or decorations.
Food for thought:
The Christmas dinner is perhaps the biggest meal of the year for families but does provide its own safety issues. Each year, the teams in the Vhi SwiftCare Clinics treat burns from ovens and hot fat, cuts as turkeys are carved and cases of food poisoning due to incorrect food preparation and storage. We’d therefore advise the chefs to keep their kitchen as uncluttered as possible, keep small children and pets out of the area entirely, be careful when using sharp knives, read food labels carefully and don’t over-stock your fridge.
Hotspots:
Candles are very popular at Christmas however can be a hazard. Keep them well out of reach of children, avoid having them anywhere where people passing by could accidently knock into them or knock them over and never leave a lit candle in an unoccupied room. Extinguish all candles before you go to bed. Avoid placing candles near trees, decorations or curtains. Always use a fireguard when the fire is lit and don’t burn wrapping paper in the fireplace as flash fires can occur.
Child Care – Be Child Aware:
Keeping children safe can be a challenge most of the time but is doubly so at Christmas with lots of toys, gifts, visitors and distractions. We are asking parents to keep one eye out for danger though if possible as decorations and new presents can present multiple choking opportunities and unattended glasses of alcohol or tea and coffee can have serious consequences for children. Mistletoe is poisonous if ingested and other festive plants and flowers can cause diarrhoea or stomach pain if eaten.
Dr de Brun concluded by saying “The Vhi SwiftCare Clinics medical team and I would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy Christmas and New Year and hope that your families remain safe over this festive period. If the worst comes to the worst however I would advise people to seek medical attention over Christmas rather than waiting, to prevent an illness or injury from deteriorating further.”
Vhi Swiftcare Clinics are Ireland’s first walk-in, urgent care clinics, providing rapid assessment, treatment and advice for patients with a range of minor injuries and illnesses. The Clinics are open 365 days a year from 8am to 10pm. The Vhi SwiftCare Clinics can be contacted on 1890 866 966. And further information on their services is available on www.vhi.ie/swiftcare
ENDS
Note to Editors
Vhi SwiftCare Clinics are Ireland's first walk-in , urgent care clinics, providing rapid assessment, treatment and advice for patients with a range of minor injuries and illnesses. Conditions that can be treated in the Vhi SwiftCare Clinics include: potential breaks, sprains bumps and bruises, minor burns or cuts that may need a stitch. The Vhi SwiftCare Clinics do not treat serious medical conditions such as difficulty breathing, severe chest pain, loss of consciousness and severe burns. The Clinics do not treat children less than 12 months of age or pregnancy related conditions
Vhi_Press
22-Dec-2016