27 December 2017

People are being asked to think carefully about whether they need to attend A&E at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

Sara Biffen, Interim Chief Operating Officer at SaTH, said: “Both of our A&E departments are currently under extreme pressure. As of 11am on Wednesday 27 December, we had 45 people waiting to be seen. Last week, more than 2,200 people attended our A&Es.

“We would ask people to think carefully before coming to A&E and face what could be a long and unnecessary wait. Many conditions can be seen much more quickly using alternative services, and A&E should only be used for the most serious injuries and illnesses.”

Alternative sources of care for non-critical ailments are:

  • Local pharmacy – they can provide advice and treat a range of minor illnesses and conditions.
  • NHS 111 – Call 111 for free from any phone 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and you can quickly access appropriate health information and advice.
  • Minor Injuries Units around the county can treat a range of minor conditions without the need to travel to an A&E department.
  • You can also book urgent appointments at GP practices, often for the same day or if you are poorly out of normal working hours, you can call Shropdoc the GP Out-of-Hours service on 0333 222 66 55.

“We are taking all the steps that we can to ensure that our patients receive the best care possible, as quickly as possible, and we would like to thank our staff for their continued hard work,” added Sara.