As pressure on the NHS mounts in Greater Manchester like never before, a hospital visitor has revealed a stark and shocking picture of just one accident and emergency department, telling of patients sat in 13 hour-long queues to be triaged and of corridors inside 'piling up with beds'.
It comes as the latest official NHS data reveals a total of 539 patients were admitted to hospitals in Greater Manchester on Boxing Day alone, with the figures illustrating patients were coming in faster than they could be discharged. Available hospital beds in Greater Manchester, meanwhile, are said to be almost full - the data shows occupancy is currently at around 98 per cent, with around a tenth of all beds filled with Covid-positive patients.
As NHS bosses issued an 'urgent' plea to the public to stay away from A&E units amid what they called 'unprecedented levels of attendance', the Manchester Evening News can reveal hospitals here have been fluctuating between 'internal alert levels' - activated to allow additional steps to be taken to maintain safe services for patients and help staff cope with growing pressures.
