Patients are asked to think twice before turning up at the Accident and Emergency Department at Russells Hall Hospital unless they are facing a life threatening condition.
“We’ve had a really busy festive period with an unprecedented number of very poorly patients arriving at our A&E Department,” said Paul Bytheway, Chief Operating Officer.
“This high demand has continued into this week, and today alone we have seen a 50% increase in the number of patients needing to be admitted into hospital.
“This inevitably puts extreme pressure on staff and services and so, to ensure we can give urgent and emergency care to the people most in need, we would ask people to consider other options before coming to A&E.
“Unless patients have a genuine emergency or life threatening condition, we would urge them to contact their GP, visit a local pharmacist or call NHS 111 for free advice.”
