SingaporeMotherhood | Parenting
November 2024
5 times NurseFirst helped Families ease their urgent Medical Concerns — at No Cost!
“I would like to share my personal feedback regarding the NurseFirst service. I called in last evening when my child encountered an incident in school. I would like to express my thanks to the nurse whom I spoke to last evening. He provided a lot of information and patiently guided me through what to look out for. His pleasant voice, and helpful and empathetic attitude definitely helped too!”
– a mother who called the NurseFirst Helpline when her child needed urgent medical attention
As parents, we know that our children will get sick and encounter falls and tumbles as they grow. But what do you do when these actually happen? Instead of heading straight to the hospital, and possibly facing long wait times and hefty costs, there is a FREE helpline by Woodlands Health — NurseFirst @ 6262 6262 — that you can now call to find out where to get appropriate medical care based on your child’s symptoms.
Staffed by trained nurses, the helpline operates daily from 8am to 11pm, including public holidays, and is currently available only in English.
Here’s why we think it’s a good idea. Depending on the severity of your child or family member’s condition, the hospital may not always be the best place to go. While it is true that hospital Emergency Departments (ED) are open and available 24/7, a visit there can be time consuming, not to mention more expensive.
Hence if your child or family member’s condition is neither severe nor urgent, it could make better sense to seek help from other healthcare options, where you can get the care they need more quickly, and more affordably.
What is NurseFirst?
NurseFirst is a free helpline by Woodlands Health. This was set up to encourage people to call and get advice from trained medical personnel if they are unsure about where to seek medical attention.
Trained nurses answer the NurseFirst helpline and do medical triaging over the phone to advise on the most appropriate care options.
For instance, you would be advised to see the General Practitioner (GP) if symptoms are mild, head to the Urgent Care Centre for urgent but non-threatening life conditions, or go straight to the Emergency Department if it is a severe or life- or limb-threatening condition.
You might be wondering how a simple phone call can help. But there’s no need to simply take our word for it. These families’ tell us how NurseFirst has helped them in their time of need:
🧑🏻⚕️ When NurseFirst saved her mum’s vision
“Grateful for this service introduced by a neighbour that saved my mum’s vision! Received a call from my mum about a sharp pain in her left eye. Not knowing how serious her condition was and where to bring her, I called the Nursefirst helpline. The nurse who answered my call requested to speak directly with my mother. In a three-way call, the nurse asked my mother questions to assess her condition and I was subsequently advised to send my mother to the Accident & Emergency Department (A&E).
With the right advice and treatment that night, my mother was discharged the following day. Remembering a friend with a similar condition who lost his vision due to delayed treatment, I am thankful for the NurseFirst Helpline and the clear and assuring advice I received!”
👩🏻⚕️ When NurseFirst gave the right advice
“I would like to share my appreciation to the nurse at NurseFirst who took my call last night. She was very calm and patient and heard me out despite not being able to physically see my injury. She even helped to check for healthcare facilities near me even though I stay on the west side. I am amazed by how knowledgeable she was!
She suggested that I visit the Urgent Care Centre or the A&E for an X-ray. That was exactly what the doctor at Alexandra Hospital’s Urgent Care Centre said right after checking on my injury. Kudos to the nurse and thank you, Woodlands Health. Keep it up!”
🧑🏻⚕️When NurseFirst may have saved her life
“Hi! Just wanted to send a thank you to NurseFirst and the nurse who helped me earlier when I made a call around 10.30pm. What I thought was asthma turned out to be a severe upper respiratory reaction (throat very quickly closing up) possibly to a viral infection (to follow-up with my asthma/respiratory specialist in the morning to determine cause).
I was quickly administered an injection and a nebuliser and am now discharged and back home. Thank you for the quick and calm advice from the nurse who advised me to go to the hospital and who also spoke to my dad to ensure I had safe transport there and someone to look after me. You might have saved my life!”
👩🏻⚕️ When NurseFirst helped after hours
“I am writing this as I am very amazed by Woodlands Health’s NurseFirst helpline. As someone who is unsure of medical seriousness, I was introduced by my brother to contact the helpline to check on the severity of my injury.
The availability of the helpline is something that I am truly thankful for, even after office hours, and on public holidays. Thank you for making the accessibility of the hotline easy to reach out to and of course, free of charge. I will definitely share this with people around me!”
🧑🏻⚕️ When NurseFirst offered advice and guidance
I would like to express my appreciation to the nurse for his kind and patient help in guiding me in the care of my father, and assessing if there was an immediate need for me to send my father to A&E. He was very comprehensive in reviewing my father’s condition and very clear in explaining his recommendation. He has been a great help to my father and to me as a caregiver. Thank you very much!”
What NurseFirst can help you with
NurseFirst can help with most common conditions, such as:
- Trauma: Falls, cuts/lacerations, animal or insect bites, injury, pain, accidents, and burns
- Musculoskeletal: Joint pains and swelling
- Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI)
- Gastrointestinal Infections (GI): Diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, and constipation
- Skin conditions: Rash, redness, itchiness
- Genitourinary: Urinary symptoms and catheter issues
- Chronic: Blood pressure and blood sugar issues
- Neurological: Headaches, giddiness or dizziness, fainting
So the next time something happens and your child or a friend or a family member needs medical help, don’t just rush to the nearest hospital. Call NurseFirst, first, and describe the symptoms. You could be saving time, energy, and costs, while getting the right advice on what to do, and where to go for the most appropriate medical help.
Call NurseFirst
☎️ 6262 6262
⏰ Daily, including public holidays, 8am – 11pm
🗣️ NurseFirst is currently available in English only
Learn more about NurstFirst here
This post was brought to you by Woodlands Health.
All images: Woodlands Health, unless otherwise specified
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