Residents urged to stay away from A&E unless seriously ill

Trust bosses say the A&E units at the Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal Hospitals are currently heaving with patients and that about two-thirds of them can be given treatment by out-of-hours GPs or chemist services.

On-call director for the hospitals Julia Clarke said at one stage on Saturday there were 56 patients at the RSH unit and 45 at PRH.

“On Saturday at 4am we had 40 in A& E when we would normally have eight. About two-thirds have illnesses of a non-urgent nature. We have seen patients who did not come in Monday to Wednesday due to the snow turning up, resulting in a high level of activity.

“We would advise members of the public to ring the NHS line 111 or their own GP who will direct them to the out-of-hours service Shropdoc and may even come out to see them, or visit a pharmacy. If you come in to us you will have a very long wait unless you are seriously ill.

“Help us by going to other appropriate services if you can.”

The trust said the situation was likely to remain the same over the weekend.

Alternative sources of care for non-critical ailments include going to a local pharmacy – who can provide advice and treat a range of minor illnesses and conditions.

Using the NHS 111 service for free from any phone 24 hours a day seven days a week.

Patients can also book urgent appointments at GP practices, often for the same day or if for those who are poorly out of normal working hours, call Shropdoc on 0333 222 66 55.

Parents urged to consider need to go to hospital

Parents are being urged to think whether a trip to hospital is necessary – due to a hospital's children's inpatient services being "extremely busy."

The inpatient services for children at The Princess Royal Hospital in Telford have been considerably busier than usual in recent weeks.

Children suffering from minor illnesses or injuries are being advised to use other, more appropriate health services and allow hospitals to focus on those children with serious conditions, who need to be seen urgently.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs PRH and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, is working closely with other hospital Trust’s across the region to ensure children who require care are able to remain within the West Midlands.

A trust spokesman said: “We know that if your child is feeling unwell it can be the most worrying of times; however hospitals are not always the best place to treat their condition and your child could receive more appropriate care, more quickly, by using alternative services.

“We aren’t asking people to avoid coming to hospital when it is necessary but to think carefully about when it is and isn’t appropriate.

"There are often more appropriate alternatives which can help people get the right treatment more easily and quicker.”