Royal Cornwall Hospital emergency department busy 'like New Year every day'

The emergency department at Cornwall's main hospital is busy "like New Year every day", a senior doctor has said.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) medical director Dr Allister Grant said it was "the busiest we have ever been".

Dr Grant said there was a "significant number" of people coming to the Truro hospital with non-urgent conditions.

Some patients are falsely claiming they have been sent by their GP or NHS 111, he said.

The hospital reminded patients that unless facing a genuine emergency, people should contact their own GP or 111 and be "directed to the most appropriate place for your care".

A pharmacist can also give medical advice on "minor ailments such as coughs and colds, sore throats, conjunctivitis, and nappy rash."

Dr Grant said: "We need to be able to concentrate on people with serious and life-threatening illness and injury. It's like New Year every day.

"We're the busiest we have ever been and people with emergencies like heart attacks, stroke and serious trauma are the ones who need the specialist care of an emergency department."

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]