Brits urged to 'go to A&E alone' as patients forced to wait up to 50 hours in critical incidents
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Patients have been told to go to A&E alone amidst NHS services in crisis. Rising winter flu cases have left some emergency departments overwhelmed, with several hospital trusts declaring critical incidents due to "exceptionally high demands". One patient faced an agonising wait of more than two days - some 50 hours - to be admitted to a ward.
One hospital trust in Yorkshire meanwhile has asked anyone needing hospital treatment to turn up alone. York and Scarborough Teach Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs eight hospitals, said departments were "overcrowded" and asked people not to bring a loved one unless it was a child or carer.
Dr Ed Smith, deputy medical director at the Trust, said: “Our emergency departments are busy all year round but are exceptionally busy at the moment with a high volume of poorly patients attending. This means that the departments can often be overcrowded, with limited places to sit while waiting to be seen.
“While we understand it’s appropriate for a friend or family member to accompany with a child or as a carer for example, if patients can attend alone, this will help free up much-needed space for other patients.” Staff at the Trust, which runs two major hospitals with busy A&E departments, were seeing more than 450 a day, Dr Smith said.
