Christmas is getting closer but for too many revellers it won’t be the sound of Santa’s sleigh bells they hear but the wail of emergency service sirens.
Friday 20 December is known as ‘black eye Friday’ – and with good reason.
As town centre pubs and restaurants gear up for one of the busiest nights of the year, so too are emergency and urgent treatment centres as they brace themselves for an influx of twisted ankles, alcohol poisoning, reactions to illicit substances and of course, the after effects of drink related violence.
Mike Stewart, University Hospitals Tees chief medical officer, said: “Christmas should be about having fun and we know most people out on Friday will be fine.
“However, our colleagues in our emergency and urgent treatment centres will be dealing with large numbers of party goers who are injured or have over done it.
“We want people to have fun but we are appealing to everyone not to overdo it and to do what they can to avoid injury.
“It’s vital that we keep our emergency departments free for people with serious illness and or who have been in accidents.
“Ending up in a hospital emergency department is surely no one’s idea of a fun Christmas party?”
Advice on avoiding any problems during ‘black eye Friday’:
- Remain in control – don’t drink too much alcohol to avoid trips, falls and alcohol poisoning
- Don’t accept any drugs – you don’t know what’s in it or how you may react to it
- Keep an eye on each other – drink spiking is a real threat so watch each other’s drinks
- Avoid trouble – if someone is acting aggressively, get help from the bar security team or a community support officer/police.
- ‘Ask for Angela’ – many bars support the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme. Anyone feeling unsafe can simply ‘ask for Angela’ at the bar and the staff will arrange support and help.
- Stay in your group – make sure you walk in pairs or as a group and wait for your taxi home together
- Never drive after a drink – arrange a lift or a taxi home when your night comes to an end
- Know your alcohol limits – the advised weekly limit is 14 units a week (six glasses of wine or six pints of beer) for men and women spread across a few days. Regularly going over this limit can lead to serious health problems including stroke, cancer and heart disease
University Hospitals Tees is the region’s first hospital group which sees North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust work together to ensure the best care for local patients.