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New seafront medical service starts
A NEW seafront medical service has been launched to help residents and holidaymakers during the summer season.
A team of seven nurses drawn from local NHS services will be taking it in turns to man a station at Scarborough's West Pier from 10am until 5pm, seven days a week from now until September 3.
They will be on hand to examine and treat people for minor injuries such as cuts, sprains and sunburn, or refer them onto more appropriate services, such as the Castle Health Centre in York Place or Scarborough Hospital.
This scheme is being run by Nikki Milner, a former A&E nurse and now lead nurse at the Castle Health Centre.
Mrs Milner said: "The aim of our summer seafront service is to give people easy access to trained medical professionals should they need it.
"The last thing people want to do when they have a problem is to wander off to look for the hospital - especially if they are not familiar with the town.
"My team of nurses will be able to examine anyone who presents themselves and treat them there and then if possible.
"One of the most common problems we see every summer is people not using sunscreen and burning as a result. As well as being very painful, this can be very dangerous particularly for young children or people with pale skin.
"Unprotected exposure to the sun is one of the leading causes of skin cancer which is why we'll also be actively educating people about using sun screen and seeking shade."
David Cockayne, director of strategy at NHS North Yorkshire and York, said: "Scarborough is a very popular destination during the summer months and this scheme will give access to health services for the thousands of extra people who come to the Yorkshire Coast.
"A recent report revealed that emergency admissions to hospitals had risen by 12 per cent since 2004/5 - costing the NHS 11 billion a year.
"I am confident that this scheme will also help us save unnecessary attendance at A&E, which is better for patients and better for the NHS as a whole."
The nurses will be stationed in a building on the West Pier near the lifeboat station, which has been let free of charge by Scarborough Borough Council for the summer.
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Weather for Scarborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North east
