NHS pressure: Avoid A&E call as hospitals in Wales struggle

Wales' largest health board has declared a "critical incident" as it faces "unprecedented demand".

The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board covering north Wales said patients face long waits for emergency care due to flu and Covid cases.

Routine appointments have been postponed at hospitals in north Wales on Tuesday in response.

Separately, Swansea Bay health board told patients not to go to A&E unless it is a life-threatening situation.

Betsi Cadwaladr's executive director of nursing, Angela Wood, said: "This morning we have declared an internal critical incident as we are struggling to cope with prolonged, unprecedented demand across the health and social care system.

"We are currently seeing a very high volume of patients presenting at our hospitals with flu, Covid and other respiratory viruses, as well as in increase in the most seriously injured or unwell patients requiring emergency care.

"This, together with a lack of available beds in our hospitals and significant staffing shortages, is leading to extremely long waits for patients to be seen - particularly at our hospital emergency departments."

The nursing director said it was an "exceptionally challenging time" for staff across the health service.

Betsi Cadwaladr said it was contacting patients after deciding to postpone "all but the most urgent" appointments at its hospitals on Tuesday.

Planned appointments on Wednesday will still go ahead.

On Monday the Royal College of Emergency Medicine - which monitors standards of care in UK A&E departments - said the NHS is facing the worst winter for A&E waits on record.

Its vice-president Dr Ian Higginson said some of Britain's emergency departments were in a "complete state of crisis".

Wales' most senior doctor, Sir Frank Atherton, said on New Year's Eve all health boards were "at the highest level of escalation" and described the system as the busiest he had seen.

In the week up to Christmas Day, family doctors in Wales diagnosed 1,877 cases of the influenza virus, with 369 people needing hospital care.

More than a third of calls to the NHS 111 helpline were flu related - with the Betsi Cadwaladr board warning that one in five acute beds were occupied by someone with the virus.

The Welsh government said the current situation across the NHS in Wales was "unprecedented".

In a statement, it said anyone with flu-like symptoms should stay away from hospital "unless absolutely necessary".

It asked people to use the NHS 111 online website if they have a non-life-threatening condition.