The prospect of 16 hour waiting times face patients arriving at Darlington Memorial Hospital as the department reports being "incredibly busy".
By 11.25am on Wednesday morning (April 27), the live waiting times update on County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust's website topped 16 hours. The trust warned on social media that there are long waits for all but the most seriously ill.
As part of the hospital trust's Do Your Bit campaign, people are being urged to think about other services like pharmacies, GPs and 111 first to keep A&E free for emergencies only and protect the NHS. According to the website's updates, waits at the University Hospital of Durham are much shorter - and are currently at around two hours and 30 minutes.
