An overstretched NHS hospital has issued a warning to people to use the right services. The campaign comes after people turned up to A&E to be treated - for chapped lips and a verruca.
Health chiefs at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Royal Bolton Hospital, have urged people to seek treatment elsewhere unless it is a genuine emergency. There are huge backlogs in treating patients that have been caused by patients attending A&E for illnesses and injuries that could have been treated at home, the trust has revealed.
Some 368 people have attended the department each day on average since April 1, and that figure is set to rise as the NHS prepares for one of the toughest winters in its history, says the trust. In total, more than 74,000 people attended Royal Bolton Hospital’s emergency department between 1 April and 19 October 2022.
