Waiting times at Bolton’s A&E have reached 13 hours this afternoon.
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust is warning patients who are not suffering from a life or limb-threatening issue that they ‘may well be better elsewhere’ as waiting times reach 13 hours.
Advice is being issued to people across Bolton as the Emergency Department and other hospital services continue to be extremely busy.
This comes amid record industrial action, seasonal illnesses, viruses, and sickness bugs, and people coming forward for help following Christmas and New Year.
Read more: Bolton strike action has begun as junior doctors stage longest strike
Dr Francis Andrews, Medical Director at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"When our services become extremely busy we have to prioritise looking after those patients who need our help the most.
“January often brings challenges for us and over the past few days we have seen more people arriving in our Emergency Department than we have patients being discharged from hospital back to the place they call home.
"This means as we head into the weekend we may have to redirect people with more minor illnesses and conditions to other health services available in Bolton.
“We understand how worrying it can be when you’re not feeling well, but it’s really important, especially at times like this, that you think carefully about where the best place is for your care and treatment.
“Our Emergency Department is open 24/7 for life-threatening emergencies, and it’s really important that people continue to come forward for that care.
“NHS 111 online, GP surgeries and local pharmacies are there to help if your condition isn’t urgent, and you may even be seen sooner by making appropriate use of these services.
“Thank you for your understanding and support as we help those most in need.
Since the start of the New Year, more than 1,500 people have arrived at Bolton’s Emergency Department, which is there to help in life or limb-threatening emergencies.
Although many attendances are urgent, some conditions that doctors and nurses have seen this week could have been treated elsewhere like Dental problems, colds, and earaches.
Ahead of and over the weekend patients who do not require urgent treatment may be redirected to alternative health services in Bolton for treatment.
The huge waiting times come as junior doctors in England including Bolton have begun the longest strike in NHS history in a major escalation in the dispute between unions and the Government over pay.
Read more: Bolton's A&E department issues warning as longest strike in NHS history begins
Medics in training from the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) are striking.
Almost all pre-planned (elective) hospital services will be affected by strikes as the NHS shifts all of its focus to urgent and emergency care.
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