North Manchester General A&E hashad its busiest ever week as under pressure A&E doctors are urging the public to take care of themselves during this hot summer weather by keeping cool and hydrated, using sun screen.
They also are asking people to think carefully before coming to the A&E departments particularly at The Royal Oldham and North Manchester General Hospitals for treatment this weekend as the heatwave continues.
Manchester General Hospital A&E had its busiest day ever recorded with 393 attendances on Monday 2 July, and The Royal Oldham Hospital is also seeing higher than average attendances.
On Thursday 5 July North Manchester General A&E had 295 attendances and The Royal Oldham Hospital A&E had 307 attendances and both departments are seeing more patients with minor conditions, which could be heat related.
Despite the high attendances, staff are working hard to treat patients as quickly as possible and patient safety is their priority. However, patients presenting with minor conditions might have to wait longer, as those with serious life threatening conditions, such as major trauma from road traffic accidents, heart attacks and strokes, are taking priority.
Dr Jimmy Stuart, Clinical Director for Urgent Care at North Manchester General Hospital said:
“Despite our staff working extremely hard, our A&E department at North Manchester is very busy and remains under pressure. This warm weather and increased demand for our urgent care services is adding to waiting times for those with minor complaints.
“Currently we are seeing over 300 patients per day attending our A&E and on Monday 2 June it was the busiest day on record and we saw 393 patients. I would like to apologise to patients who are waiting longer than expected to be seen, and would ask the public to help us and think carefully about which health service is appropriate for their condition, only coming to A&E if it is a genuine emergency.
“Patient safety is our priority and we are working very hard to see patients as quickly as possible. Our A&E staff always prioritise and treat the sickest patients first, such as those with life-threatening conditions like head injuries, heart attacks and strokes.
“We continue to work closely with our health and social care partners in primary care, community and social care services to improve the flow of patients in and out of our hospitals and back to their homes and communities.”
Dr Tom Leckie, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at The Royal Oldham Hospital said:
“Monday was also a busy day for A&E at The Royal Oldham Hospital and we saw 356 patients attend, which is the most we have seen all week so far. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were also busy days for us and we saw over 300 attendances each day.
“I would encourage people to think carefully before coming to A&E and to only come in an emergency situation, and after considering what other healthcare services they could use instead, such as a pharmacist, GP, walk in centre or calling the NHS 111 telephone line for advice.
“I would urge people to be sensible in the heat and keep themselves hydrated; avoid drinking alcohol to excess, to keep in the shade in the hottest parts of the day, and to use sunscreen when sitting in the sun.”
