Ambulances have been pictured lining up outside Stepping Hill as hospital trusts across the region warned of seven hour waits in A&E on Monday. Numerous trusts in Greater Manchester reissued urgent advice for people to only attend if they are in an emergency, with further pressure mounting on the NHS.
And as some patients anonymously claimed they were given a six-hour waiting time, with over 150 people reportedly waiting to be triaged at Manchester Royal Infirmary on Monday afternoon, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust warned of 'extremely busy' A&E departments, with an average of 330 patients a day coming through their doors over the last week.
Ambulances were pictured lining up outside of Stepping Hill Hospital on Monday afternoon, just a short while after the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust reissued advice for patients to attend their A&E departments in 'emergencies only'.
The Manchester Evening News understands that patients waiting at MRI were facing a potentially six-hour wait time, with 159 people reportedly waiting to be triaged and 59 waiting to see a doctor as of Monday afternoon. There were lengthy waits elsewhere in the region, with Bolton NHS Foundation Trust announcing that wait times had been exceeding seven hours on Monday.
And Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Stepping Hill Hospital, said that last week, they saw an average of 330 patients each day attend the A&E department, which the high level of demand continuing this week. They shared a tweet on Monday afternoon warning of 'extremely busy' A&E departments.
The Manchester Evening News previously reported how NHS data revealed that more than 2,200 people had to wait over 12 hours in A&E departments in Greater Manchester last month. A total of 109,246 people attended emergency departments across the region region in September, with 2,236 of those waiting over 12 hours before being admitted.
A spokesperson for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), said: “We are currently experiencing high demand for our services in our emergency departments across MFT. Our teams continue to work extremely hard to assess and treat patients as quickly as possible, however there will be occasions when some patients may need to wait longer, and we thank them for their support during these challenging times.
“If you have a minor ailment, it may be more suitable for you to use other NHS services such as pharmacists, GPs, dentists, Walk-in services, telephoning NHS 111, or using NHS Choices online: www.nhs.uk.”
As a spokesperson for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust added: "Last week we saw an average of 330 patients a day in our A&E and that high level of demand appears to be continuing this week. We would ask local people to keep A&E for emergencies and to contact NHS 111 for advice if their need is urgent but not an emergency."
On Monday afternoon, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust said on Twitter: "Wait times to be seen have been more than seven hours today. Right now they're roughly three and a half hours. Our brilliant staff are working so hard to help others, but please consider whether the Emergency Department is the right place for you."
Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership has been contacted for comment.
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
- "Since Covid no-one is carrying any change... they set fire to you and p*** on your tent": Life for the men on Manchester's streets
- LIVE updates as Boris Johnson pulls out of race to become Prime Minister with Rishi Sunak now favourite to become UK's third leader in seven weeks
- "What the f*** have you done?": Mum confronts sick sex attacker, thug left pal with broken bones - and the police hiding in woods
- Emotions run high at protest held after man 'attacked' outside Chinese consulate in Manchester
- 'Has daddy done something?' Awful moment mum caught my rapist dad in bed with me
