WE have now gone beyond the point where we can ignore the crisis in the NHS which is crystallised in A & E Departments every day.

The Royal Bolton Hospital was forced to declare a “major incident” in its Accident and Emergency Department. This is the kind of status quo that happens when there’s a plane crash, a multi-vehicle accident or similar occurrence with a high number of patients needing treatment.

The Department was overwhelmed with patients and, like several others around the country, simply could not cope with more. Although this is steadily improving – thanks largely to the excellent staff there – the fact is that we, the general public, now have to carefully examine our own response to health problems and tailor that response to suit available resources.

There are many reasons for the current crisis status and it’s likely that several of them are involved. But forget the politics, the back-biting and accusations. This is something WE the public have to acknowledge right now, and react accordingly.

Too many people are prepared to simply rock up at their local A & E for minor problems occurring after GP’s surgeries are closed. Of course life-threatening situations are still emergencies and need hospital help urgently. But, otherwise, there is an out-of-hours’ service available, you can go to Lever Chambers which offers a walk-in service or dial 111 for the non-emergency NHS service.

Better still, talk to a local pharmacist. They have a wealth of practical knowledge and can often offer advice and medication for minor ailments.

The truth is that we are still far too casual in the way we treat the ambulance service and A & E Departments. We go to the latter for everything from a bad cough to a sore toe when waiting for a GP appointment would be more suitable, and demand an ambulance to get us there. Small wonder both services are stretched to breaking point with long waits involved.

It is now up to us as individuals to make that mental switch about our health, start taking responsibility for it and stop treating NHS and ambulance staff like our own personal health service. The truth is it just won’t stand it, and the signs are that this situation is not going to get any better in the foreseeable future. The prognosis is poor and we are, to a large extent, now our own doctors.