WARRINGTON Hospital today activated its full capacity protocol – which effectively means patients should not attend A&E unless it is a life-threatening situation.
The notice was issued as the department struggled to cope with long delays and will remain in force until further notice.
Professor Simon Constable, Medical Director at Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust urged patients not to attend A&E today unless it is a life threatening situation.
He said: “The first few days back after the long holiday str very busy at all hospitals but in Warrington we are receiving large numbers of extremely sick patients by ambulance and patients in the waiting room are
experiencing unprecedented delays.
“Over a third of patients we have seen so far don’t need to be in A&E and should make use of other services such as their Pharmacist, GP or NHS 111.”
The Trust said there are Urgent Care Centres at Halton Hospital and Oaks Place, Caldwell Road in Widnes which currently have short waiting times for walk-in patients.
Warrington Hospital
Hospital closes A&E to all but “life-threatening” cases
88 Comments
8 Comments
There is an argument that A&E should only ever be used for serious/life threatening issues – unfortunately due to the incompetence of some local GP practices many people visit A&E when a trip to the doctors would be sufficient.
The standards across GP practices across Warrington seem to vary considerably.
I am pleased to report that my local practice at Appleton is now easily accessible and you can get a same day appointment in my own recent experiences. I know it is not the same at others.
Doctors surgery Longford street is equally having problems, I telephoned them this morning at 8:30, finally 91 (it’s on my call logs) tries later at 9:15 I was told no appointments available.
It’s very frustrating but we have to realise that there is only so many people GPS can see in a day, at least we have options (111 sevice, pharmacy and Internet ) some countries have no free health care or access to information to help themselves nor the education to know.
Come on people let’s be supportive and grateful for what we have got.
best wishes.
I couldnt get my son into the doctors and he had a popped ear lobe which was bleeding. So i had to go a&e and waited 4 hours before he got treated. Being a child i thought he would get into a doctor. I also rang as soon as the doctors open too.
Before my mum passed away, I have sat with her for hours in A&E due to the fact that she had carers who had to call an ambulance for the slightest thing (due to their Health & Safety rules) such as one time when she slipped forward out of her chair and ended up sat on the floor laughing at how daft it was…. the carers came in, saw her on the floor and called 999 and not only did a paramedic arrive, but then an ambulance to take her to hospital where we ended up for 5 hours in total…. totally unacceptable and avoidable for an 89 year old!
Why they can’t just have someone such as a nurse coming round the waiting room asking what the problem is and why are they there and then telling the drunks and the sore finger brigades to bugger off home is beyond me
All very well saying life threatening cases only, but breaking an arm or leg is not necessarily ‘life threatening’, yet if certainly requires pretty immediate attention in a hospital, so no alternative other than the nearest A&E really. If you live in Warrington you aren’t going to Want to travel 15 to 20 miles to the next nearest A&E are you?
It’s ridiculous ‘closing a hospital’ they are supposed to be prepared for busy periods! What on earth would they do if there was a major incident there is no way they would ever cope.
God help us all.
I would like to point out that the decision to close to all but life threatening emergencies is not taken lightly and cannot just be made. It is discussed at executive level and have to get another nearby hospital to take emergencies and only agreed when every bed in the hospital is full and the aed is completely full to capacity so is a safety issue! It means they have had an unprecedented volume of admissions of people who need to be admitted for treatment. If there was a trauma they would go to a regional trauma centre anyway. Hospitals in the entire region are struggling to cope due to capacity, and people need to act responsibly by using the appropriate health care provision for their need! Not just because it’s quicker to go to aed!
Following a lengthy wait at Warrington A&E on a normal week day summers evening, I found out about the other place I could have gone to when my daughter broke her wrist. Broken bones and other minor injuries can be treated at Halton Minor Injuries Unit – I have taken my accident prone daughter there several times now and been treated very quickly by the nurse-led unit. They were also able to book the follow up fracture clinic appointmen at Warrington Hospital. They are an invaluable service.