Telford News

Do you really need to visit the Accident and Emergency Department?

Do you really need to visit the Accident and Emergency Department?

The Trust that runs Shropshire’s two acute hospitals is asking people to consider whether they need the specialist services provided by A&E as the departments continue to face huge demand.

This week (Monday 9 – Thursday 12 December), a total of 1643 people visited the A&E departments at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford. This figure is an increase of 15% from the same period in 2018 and equates to one patient every three and half minutes.

Nigel Lee, Chief Operating Officer at SaTH, said: “In common with many hospitals across the country, we are seeing very high demand on our A&E services at the moment.

“Every day we are seeing acute and complex cases and a high number of patients arriving by ambulance needing urgent and immediate attention. We therefore ask people to think if they need the specialist service that our A&Es provide. For more minor injuries and illnesses, there are a range of other services which may be able to treat your condition more appropriately and more quickly.

“I would like to thank our staff who are working so hard to ensure our patients are treated safely and with kindness despite these very challenging conditions.”

Pharmacies are often seen simply as dispensaries for medication, but pharmacists are experts in medicines and will use their clinical expertise, together with their practical knowledge to offer advice on common problems such as coughs, colds, aches and pains and can also help you decide whether you need to see a doctor. NHS 111 can provide medical help fast when it’s not a 999 emergency.

17 thoughts on “Do you really need to visit the Accident and Emergency Department?

  • Simple. Reopen the walk-in clinics you closed down. Cut unnecessary A&E visits straight away.

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  • I went down a few days after a car accident and it was found I hate damage internally from my seat belt, however whilst I was in there a person came in through the doors to department, looked at the board and loudly proclaimed “4 hours I’m not f**King waiting” and stormed out. The NHS is crippled by people who are not using the right services.

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    • Too right they are and definitely a lot could get sorted by pharmacies

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  • The pharmacist by my house is absolutely brilliant!
    Due to working unsociable and long hours I find him invaluable as I can really get an appointment at a doctor.

    But….. More funding is obviously the answer and that is what we all want!

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  • A&E have 3 different departments currently running in there .. urgent care ( broken bones etc) , GP shropdoc .. and critical care .. that’s why it always is so busy in there

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  • I was at the doctors waiting for my appointment, a chap came in wanting to make an appointment couldn’t do that so said ok I will go to A & E that is the mentality of some people

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  • Put an x-ray machine in somewhere else and it would reduce this. Had to take my daughter this week, as was sent by GP to rule out a break on what turned out to be a sprained ankle.

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  • Disband SaTH, restructure with professional management appointed by Doctors. Boris will go in this direction, current structure fell apart years ago, no one has been accountable !!! Heads should roll for their failure.

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  • Give triage the power to tell people to jog on and stop wasting time problem solved

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  • Thing is more people come because more houses are being built and more families are moving to the area!!

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  • Just charge pubs for serving people who are drunk, far too many drink related accidents, which could be avoided, only if people were more responsible.

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  • Only go when absolutely necessary . Mainly my son having severe asthma attack , pneumonia, on the verg of heart attack and also another time for anaphylactic shock where he almost lost his life n was blue lighted all the way to hospital and they had to breath for him . Defo need to keep our A and E .
    Coughs n colds deal with at home or the GP .

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  • If there were more doctors appointments available maybe people wouldn’t go to a and e

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  • Wouldn’t have to worry about this if the stupid story MPs had secured the future of PRH A&E and not brought the NHS to its knees

    Reply

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