PATIENTS have been forced to wait more than 11 hours as the Royal Bolton Hospital's accident and emergency department reaches crisis point.

Hospital bosses say doctors and nurses are facing huge pressures after seeing a massive rise in emergency admissions over the Christmas period.

Non-emergency operations have also been cancelled to free up beds.

A hospital spokesman said: "In common with many hospitals nationally, this year has seen such high levels of emergency admissions that there are backlogs in A&Es while staff find beds for patients.

"At the Royal Bolton some patients are having to wait for up to eleven-and-a-half hours from the decision to admit them until they go to a bed on a ward."

Now, hospital bosses are pleading with people to consider whether they need to go to A&E, or whether other health services — such as GPs or pharmacies — could be able to treat them.

Andy Ennis, chief operating at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust which runs the hospital, said the problems have been "constant" since the start of October.

This week additional beds have been opened on top of the usual extra winter ward, more staff have been called in to work and extra transport has been organised to speed up discharges from hospital — but the problem persists.

Mr Ennis said: “We always plan ahead for winter but this year has been unusual in the high numbers of very poorly patients who need to be admitted and may need to stay in hospital a while.

“Our staff have been fantastic, going above and beyond their normal work, but it has been very difficult for them and I’d like to thank them for their support.”

Many of the patients, especially those who are elderly, have had respiratory problems, worsened recently by the cold weather.

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East, said cuts to council social services have made it more difficult for people to be cared for in their own homes before they need to be admitted to hospital.

Patients are also being left in hospital for longer, as clinicians struggle to find an appropriate place to send vulnerable people once discharged, she said.

Ms Qureshi said: “Lots of people are ending up in A&E and hospital when they actually don’t need to be there.

“Most of it is the fact there has been a lot of cuts in local authorities in home care and social services, and this is having an impact.

“If somebody is at home and is not getting looked after properly, they end up ill and are then taken to hospital, because it is a place of safety.

“Carers are paid appalling so the positions are not being filled, then there is a shortage of carers and people are not being looked after in their own homes — clogging up A&Es as a result.”

Following the difficulties the trust has now dramatically failed its waiting time targets.

Until October the hospital was one of the few in the region ensuring 95 per cent of patients at A&E were either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

Its percentage for December is 86.3 per cent, but on Monday, December 29, had slipped to 79 per cent.

Jack Firth, chairman of Healthwatch Bolton which represents the public on healthcare boards, said more people needed to be educated about when they should go to A&E — and said putting a GP surgery in the department could help.

He said: “Something different needs to happen – like getting some GPs in A&E, or a walk-in centre of some description.

“It is also a cultural thing, particularly with young people. If they can’t get an appointment they just go to the hospital.

“There needs to be a new system, but for that they need money.

“If the A&E is not performing well it is bad news for everybody in this town and everybody in the hospital.”

Mr Ennis added: “I’d like to apologise to anyone who has been affected, but clearly our priority has to be the safe care of those who most need it.

“Although many of the people who come to hospital need our treatment, there are others who do not. I’d appeal to them to consider whether they really need to come to A&E or whether they could get advice or treatment elsewhere.

“I’d also like to ask families for their co-operation when we are trying to find the right care for a patient when they leave hospital.

"It may be that they need to accept temporarily a nursing home that is not their first choice, so that we can make best use of hospital beds.”

Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group has advice on alternatives to A&E for non accident and emergency support.

Pharmacy opening hours for the holiday period can be found on the CCG website.

GPs surgeries are open as normal over the remaining holiday period, except for New Years Day, when they are routinely closed.

Calling your GP surgery number when they are closed will provide a telephone number for access to a GP out of normal surgery hours.

For more information on what to do when you are ill or hurt, visit www.letsmakeitbolton.co.uk.

  • Have you had your operation cancelled at The Royal Bolton as a result of the delays? Contact us to share your story by phoning 01204 537256 or email newsdesk@theboltonnews.co.uk