Major UK hospital gives urgent 'stay away' warning as A&E plunged into chaos

busy-corridor-in-nhs-hospital-in-england

A major UK hospital has issued an urgent plea for the public to only attend its A&E department when absolutely necessary, as it grapples with a surge in patient numbers.

The University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, which is the largest hospital in the country, is currently facing significant challenges, the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has reported. The health board has stated that the emergency unit is “extremely busy” today, Monday, April 29.

In a critical update, the hospital has highlighted that the current situation is resulting in “long waits” and is advising people to seek emergency care only.

Those with health concerns are being urged to contact 111 for any assistance required. The health authority is calling on the public to come to the Emergency Unit solely for severe conditions, issuing a checklist of admission criteria.

• Severe breathing difficulties
• Severe pain or bleeding.
• Chest pain or a suspected stroke.
• Serious trauma injuries, for example from a car accident.

The announcement made at 10am on Monday emphasised: “The Emergency Unit at UHW is incredibly busy which is leading to long waits in the department. We are urging the public to only attend the unit in an emergency.”

Individuals feeling unwell are encouraged to use the NHS 111 Wales Symptom Checker online or call 111 for support, where their condition will be evaluated and an appointment time provided if necessary. For ongoing medical issues requiring review, the advice is to consult GPs as the primary option.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that numerous AandE trusts are grappling with a surge in demand for their services. Almost four out of every 10 (39.1%) attendances to all type 1 AandEs in England last month took longer than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.

A type 1 AandE department is a consultant-led 24-hour service with full resuscitation facilities and designated accommodation for the reception of accident and emergency patients. It excludes things such as walk-in centres.

This represents an improvement from 43.5 per cent in February, and from 43.2 per cent at the same time last year, but it is still one of the highest percentages on record. The situation is far worse at some hospital trusts though.

There are 16 acute trusts where more than half of attendances at type 1 AandEs last month took longer than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.