14 January 2009
Doctors at Epsom and St Helier hospitals are calling on local people to only visit its A&E departments if they have a genuine emergency or accident, because of intense pressure on its services.
Medical Director Dr Jonathan Kwan said the two A&E departments are extremely busy at the moment following the onset of winter.
Dr Kwan said: "With winter upon us, hospitals up and down the country face greater pressures caused by the cold weather. We are seeing more people suffering from bronchitis, asthma and other conditions that can get worse as a result of the change in temperature. As you can imagine, this has a big impact on the majority of our services, especially A&E.
"It would help us immensely if people continued to use our A&E services responsibly, allowing us to concentrate our staff and resources on patients who urgently need emergency services.
"Most people using A&E genuinely need its services and are suffering a life threatening or real emergency to their health. However, there are also people who present themselves to A&E because they are feeling mildly unwell, have a cough, cold, a minor cut or other everyday ailments. If you are suffering with these symptoms then you should see your GP or contact your local GP out-of-hours service."
During December, our A&E departments saw 11,402 patients - an increase of more than 8% compared to last year.
Dr Kwan added: "Hospital A&E services are designed for patients with emergency medical or surgical problems, or who have been involved in accidents. If the public do their bit and heed the advice or go through their GP, it will make a huge difference to ease the pressure. It will also further reduce the time that people have to wait to be seen and treated."
Dr Ruth Milton, Director of Public Health for Surrey said: "GPs and pharmacists can help with most minor health issues so they should always be the first port of call. Anyone who isn't sure where they should seek help can contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647."
