A hospital boss has urged patients to stay away from an under-pressure Greater Manchester A&E this Easter weekend unless it's an 'emergency or life-threatening'. Bolton Royal A&E consultant Damian Bates warned patients will face a wait of 'five or six hours' if they turn up at A&E with minor or non-urgent conditions.
Dr Bates' warning comes after NHS leaders said the health service is facing an Easter 'as bad as most winters'. Latest data shows record waits for planned surgery and in A&E, as staff plough through a backlog fuelled by Covid.
In a video message Dr Bates said: "We will see people in the order they need to be seen, so if you're not an emergency you will wait, and you will wait five or six hours sometimes. So choose wisely, choose to see your pharmacist, ring 111 and remember that the GPs are open and willing to see people."
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A message on the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust Facebook page advised patients to ring or visit 111, or see a pharmacist or GP for minor complaints. It said: "This Easter, our A&E is here to help if your condition is an emergency or life-threatening. If it’s minor or non-urgent, visit 111.nhs.uk.
"A trained adviser will help you find local services. Depending on the situation, they can: Book you in to be seen at an Accident & Emergency; Direct you to an alternative, more appropriate local service; Connect you to a nurse, emergency dentist, pharmacist or GP or arrange a face-to-face appointment, if required."
Earlier this week, Matthew Taylor, from the NHS Confederation, told BBC Breakfast: "The brutal reality for staff and patients is that this Easter in the NHS is as bad as any winter."
