Like many other hospitals across the local area, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals are calling for the public’s support to help ease the pressure on its Emergency Departments at both Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.
This comes following a significant increase in attendances over recent weeks, over and above what would usually be expected for this time of year.
The Trust has put extra plans into place to cope with an expected increase in attendances following the relaxation of some lockdown restrictions, however the increase in attendances has been much more than anticipated with teams seeing around 16% more patients last week than expected.
Faith Button, Chief Operating Officer at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, said: “Our emergency departments are very much open to the public, however we are currently seeing patients arriving with a range of non-urgent conditions which puts extra pressure on staff and causes longer waits for everyone.
“It is incredibly important to make sure that our ED teams are able to see and treat patients who really do need life-saving care, and we hope that our local communities can support this by only attending an ED if they really need to.
Dr Gerry Skailes, Medical Director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, added: “We appreciate that accessing healthcare services can seem difficult - especially if you do not know which service is best for your situation - but that doesn’t mean that everyone should attend an emergency department.
“If you need urgent medical help, and don’t know which service is best for you, NHS 111 is available to take your call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They will ask questions about your symptoms so you get the help you need.”
Urgent medical help
For urgent medical help, not related to coronavirus, please use the NHS 111 online service: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19
Emergencies:
Call 999
About our Emergency Departments
Royal Preston Hospital’s emergency department can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
Chorley and South Ribble Hospital’s emergency department can be accessed between 8am – 8pm, seven days per week. Children or young people (under 18 years of age) needing A&E services will should go to Royal Preston Hospital to ensure they receive the best care in the right place. Additionally, any pregnant women needing emergency department services should go to Preston for the same reason.
Patients suffering complex fractures or major trauma injuries will also be treated at the Royal Preston. As a major trauma centre, with clinicians who are highly trained and experienced in treating complex broken bones and / or life-threatening injuries, the Royal Preston Hospital is the most appropriate place for this type of care.
Urgent Care Centres
The Trust also operates 24/7 Urgent Care Centres at both Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital which can treat a wide range of minor ailments, for both children and adults. Learn more about what can be treated here.
