Delays at Greater Manchester’s A&E departments are continuing into the winter as patients warn of ‘17-hour waits to see a doctor’ at one hospital. This week, patients coming through the emergency department are claiming they have been waiting ‘two days’ for a bed on a ward at the Royal Bolton Hospital.
Summer - typically a period of relative calm for the NHS - was marred by extremely high pressure. The North West Ambulance Service rose to its highest level of alert possible, and emergency departments across the region were dangerously full, according to medics on the ground.
Earlier this month, delays affected Manchester Royal Infirmary and Wythenshawe Hospital, where the Manchester Evening News was told of waits of more than 16 hours in A&E. Ironic cheers rang out as people were called in to be seen, patients claimed.
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On Tuesday morning (September 27), one Royal Bolton Hospital patient told the M.E.N. that after waiting for four hours, he was told he might have to wait more than 17 hours further.
“After waiting 4 hours, I’ve just been told possibly another wait of 17 plus hours, not a single bed in the hospital,” said the patient. “The man next to me has been waiting in a chair for a hospital bed for two days, yes two days sat in A&E.
"It was in black and white on the wall, 17-plus hour wait to see a doctor. There were beds all over the corridors."
By the afternoon, the Royal Bolton Hospital had issued a tweet warning of 'very high levels of activity' in the emergency department. For major illnesses and injuries, patients could be waiting 'nine hours and 56 minutes', said the tweet.
Hospital bosses admit A&Es remain under high pressure, but say that the most seriously ill and injured patients will always be seen first. It comes as patients are urged to choose the right service, being ushered away from going to the emergency department and calling 999 for an ambulance unless they have a genuine emergency or life-threatening problem.
Rae Wheatcroft, Chief Operating Officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our Emergency Department is extremely busy and as a result, some patients are waiting for a long time. We are here for anyone who has an urgent or emergency need and we will continue to prioritise our sickest patients first.
“For anyone who is unsure about what service they need to access, NHS 111 online or by phone provides expert advice and will ensure you receive the correct treatment and care.”
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