Healthcare services across Fife are currently under extreme pressure.
We are managing a very significant demand for healthcare services. This is due to an increasing number of people presenting with COVID-19 and a range of other conditions, coupled with a rise staff absence due to COVID.
This rise in demand is affecting our hospitals, particularly within our Emergency Department and admissions wards, and is also having a significant impact on local GP practices too.
We are asking people to please use healthcare services responsibly and make use of the full range of services available, including your local pharmacy, dentist surgery or high street optometrist. For further information on where to access the right medical care, visit NHSinform.scot/right-care.
If it is an emergency, always call 999.
Please remember that our Emergency Department is designed to care only for those who have a life-threatening emergency, such as those with suspected heart attacks or strokes, severe breathing difficulties, severe bleeding, or severe injury. A small number of people attending our Emergency Department could be seen more appropriately by another service - please be advised that if you attend inappropriately then you may well be redirected to the most appropriate service for your needs.
Anyone who thinks they may need to be assessed and where their condition is not life-threatening should call NHS 24 on 111 – day or night - where they can be assessed or directed towards the most appropriate service. If A&E is the most appropriate place to provide the right care, patients will either be directly referred to A&E by NHS 24 or to a telephone or video consultation with a senior clinician.
By using healthcare services appropriately means that our clinical staff and dedicate more time to those who need it most.
The NHS Inform website remains a great source of advice on common symptoms, guidance for self-help and where to go if further medical care is needed.
