Hospitals urge public to avoid A&E unless urgent as services hit by 'exceptionally high demand'
19 December 2024, 17:03
Three hospitals have urged patients not to go to A&E unless absolutely necessary as health services fear becoming overwhelmed over the Christmas period.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The Royal Glamorgan, Prince Charles and Princess of Wales hospitals have pleaded with the public to instead call 111 if their health concerns are non-urgent.
The NHS has warned patients faced "extended waits" if they attended emergency departments with less serious conditions as hospitals have been facing "exceptionally” busy in the run-up to Christmas.
The Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board in Wales said in an alert to patients: “Services and emergency departments at Royal Glamorgan, Prince Charles and Princess of Wales hospitals are exceptionally busy this week.
"The health board is asking for the support of local people to help it manage this high demand."
"However, with hospital beds already occupied and emergency departments seeing a higher than normal attendance from people seeking care, they are turning to the public for their support.”a
"However, with hospital beds already occupied and emergency departments seeing a higher than normal attendance from people seeking care, they are turning to the public for their support.”
Read more: NHS uses AI to find ‘frequent attenders’ in A&E
It comes as Flu, norovirus, RSV and Covid-19 are piling the pressure on already stretched
But Health leaders warned last week that the NHS is facing a "quad-demic" of disease going into winter amid rising cases of flu, Covid-19, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: "The NHS is busier than it has ever been before heading into winter, with flu and norovirus numbers in hospital rising sharply - and we are still only at the start of December, so we expect pressure to increase and there is a long winter ahead of us.
"For a while there have been warnings of a 'tripledemic' of Covid, flu and RSV this winter, but with rising cases of norovirus this could fast become a 'quad-demic', so it's important that if you haven't had your Covid or flu jab to follow the lead of millions of others and come forward and get protected as soon as possible.”
NHS staff have been urged to take up the offer of a free flu jab as figures show that uptake among staff is lower than in recent years.
