People who are unwell are being urged to look at alternatives to Hull Royal Infirmary’s Accident and Emergency (A&E) as winter pressures begin to bite.

Over the last week, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has seen bed occupancy exceed capacity as local hospitals deal with an increase in the amount of sick people admitted through the A&E Department at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Hospital managers are now urging people not to come to A&E unless it is a genuine emergency. The Trust is appealing to the public to use local minor injuries units, visit their GP or pharmacist or call NHS 111 for telephone advice.

In order to free up beds and consultant time to ensure those with more urgent care needs can be accommodated, the Trust will be postponing some routine elective operations and clinics.
Kevin Phillips, Chief Medical Officer for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Hospitals regularly come under pressure at this time of year, and we do have plans in place to deal with these, but over the last week we have seen a volume of patients been admitted in to our hospitals which is over and above what we would predict for this time of year.

“Many of these are very poorly people who are then being admitted to hospital, but there are still some which could be treated elsewhere.

“We are urging people to exercise common sense and to look at alternative treatment options unless they are seriously ill or a person’s condition is considered life-threatening. This will allow us to concentrate our efforts on the very poorly people who are within our hospitals at the moment.

“The decision to postpone any operation or clinic is not one we take lightly as we are mindful of the impact this can have on a patient and their family. However, to ensure those who require more urgent care needs, we are going to have to postpone some routine elective operations and clinics. Those who are affected will be contacted directly and reappointed at a later date.

“I would personally like to pay tribute to the doctors, nurses and therapists who are helping our services keep going at this moment by ensuring a flow is maintained through the hospital and the limited space we do have is being utilised to its maximum potential.

“We are continuing to work extremely hard with our partners who are playing a huge part in creating additional capacity in the community to allow us to safely discharge those patients who are medically fit to leave our hospitals.”