More than 2,000 seen at Shropshire A&E departments in a week

More than 2,000 people attended A&E in Shropshire last week – with a quarter of those visiting over the weekend, it has been revealed.

Bosses at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital said many of those who came through their doors could have gone to minor injury units or waited to see their GP.

They said under-pressure doctors and nurses at the two sites continued to be "very busy" at the start of this week and urged people to think before turning up.

The news came as it was revealed that demand for ambulances in Shropshire has risen by nearly 10 per cent over the past year.

The West Midland Ambulance Service received 222 calls by 9.30pm yesterday.

This is a rise of 9.3 per cent compared to figures from the same day last year.

Debbie Kadum, chief operating officer at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: "Our A&E departments are for life-threatening and emergency conditions and we need to ensure that these services are available to help the people who really need them.

"From reviewing the cases of people who have been to our A&E departments, we know that many of them could have used an alternative local service, which would have avoided what can be a stressful visit to hospital.

"As we have said previously, the county's hospital services, along with the rest of the region and indeed the rest of the country, have been facing high levels of demand for inpatient care.

"Last weekend we saw a total of 549 people at our emergency departments, with more than 2,000 people attending A&E across the week as a whole, and we continue to be very busy at the start of this week.

"We are working closely with our partners on plans to reduce demand and ensure that we discharge patients in a timely fashion, but we continue to experience high numbers of people who are in hospital but who no longer need the specialist level of care we offer and are waiting to be transferred to a more appropriate place of care.

"I would urge everybody to please think carefully about whether A&E is really the best place for your condition. If it is, we will provide the best possible care, as quickly as is possible.

"If it isn't, please think of the emergency and urgent patients who are the priority, and consider an alternative.

Minor injuries units in Bridgnorth, Whitchurch, Ludlow, Oswestry, Welshpool and Newtown may treat you quicker than A&E for minor injuries. Patients that attend the units will be treated as quickly as possible."