A MAJOR incident has been declared for two hospitals in Gloucestershire, due to high demand in A&E departments.
Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General are dealing with a substantial number of non-urgent patients, which is causing a backlog.
People have been asked to consider options other than A&E, such as calling the NHS 111 helpline.
The declaring of a major incident means extra resources can be brought in such as specialist teams, additional staff, equipment and facilities.
A spokesman for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, speaking to the BBC, said 30 per cent of people using Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General's emergency departments had "non-urgent ailments".
The trust spokesman said another factor contributing to the problem in Gloucestershire was the high number of "elderly patients being admitted, whose needs are often more complex".
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