All three Emergency Departments in Hull, Scunthorpe and Grimsby remain under significant pressure, in line with other departments in hospitals all over the country.

While we are not seeing higher attendances than we would expect to see in January, we are seeing sicker patients, including those with flu, who need to stay in hospital for longer than usual.

We also have high numbers of patients who are well enough to go home but have to stay in hospital until care packages can be arranged to support their return to their own homes or places can be found for them in community facilities such as care or nursing homes.

These factors mean we cannot move patients requiring hospital care out of our Emergency Departments and onto wards, placing all areas of our hospitals and our staff under pressure.

Humber Health Partnership is working closely with community health partners and local authorities to free up space on wards as quickly as possible.

The group, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary, Castle Hill Hospital, Diana, Princes of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, Scunthorpe General Hospital and Goole Hospital, is urging people to consider alternatives to A&E such as pharmacies, local GPs and Urgent Treatment Centres if they do not require urgent or emergency treatment. If you are not sure where to go, please contact NHS111.

Members of the public are also urged to get their flu vaccine to protect themselves over the winter months to help ease the pressure on hospital services.