A Merseyside hospital has pleaded for people to stay away during the Easter weekend.
Southport and Formby District Hospital, like many hospitals across the country, is currently under a lot of pressure, with the NHS Trust reminding people A&E should be for serious and urgent treatment. As the country prepares for a four day weekend, people are once again being asked to think before they make a trip to the hospital.
This week has seen two video messages posted to the hospital's Facebook page, one from the leading A&E doctor at the hospital Dr Mike Aisbitt, and another from Matron Jane Lawson. The message from Dr Aisbitt, posted on Tuesday, April 12, said: "Hello, my name is Mike Aisbitt and I'm the clinical director at the emergency department at Southport and Ormskirk.
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"This is just a message to let you know that our departments are currently extremely busy and experiencing unprecedented high demand. Please consider other options this weekend for access to healthcare such as NHS 111, walk-in centres, GP on-call, pharmacists, dentists and opticians.
"If your condition is deemed to be serious please continue to attend the emergency department. If you have symptoms such as chest pains, signs of a stroke or a severe infection we will see you and treat you in priority order."
Matron Jane Lawson said: "Hello, my name is Jane Lawson, matron here at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital for the emergency department. As you are aware we are going into the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and the emergency department is seeing unprecedented demand on our services.
"Please, please consider other options before attending the department. These are NHS 111, GP on-call, local walk-in centres and over counter pharmacies. We are here for patients who need our services and there is the availability of 999 in an extreme emergency.
"Please consider your options before turning up to the ED. Thank you."
This comes as the department continues to fight long waiting times with the hospital posting regular reminders to its Facebook page suggesting treatments for people suffering from conditions that may not be deemed an emergency. Earlier this week the hospital had to warn people of long waiting times two days in a row as people continue to attend the department for non-urgent conditions.
