PATIENTS who need to access health services across Gloucestershire are being urged to consider their options following a flood of visitors to A&E departments across the county.

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General declared a major incident on Sunday after an influx of patients to the emergency departments resulted in a backlog of 50 people waiting to be seen.

The College of Emergency Medicine, which represents casualty department doctors, believes that between 15 per cent and 30 per cent of patients attending emergency departments could be treated elsewhere.

Robust plans are in place to help manage increased demand which include increasing the number of staff at the emergency department, increasing the beds available across Gloucestershire and promoting community alternatives.

Dr Tom Llewellyn, clinical director for emergency care at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are urging the public to think very carefully before attending our emergency departments.

“You may receive the care you need more appropriately and in a more timely fashion if you access other health services available.”

Gloucestershire residents are being encouraged to seek alternatives to A&E such as minor injury units and local pharmacies or by calling NHS 111.

Dr Helen Miller, clinical chairman of NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It is really important to remember that hospital emergency departments are designed to treat serious injuries and emergencies.”

Susan Field, director of service transformation at Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust, which runs the county’s community hospitals and its community nursing service, said: “We will continue to respond to the increased demand that we are all experiencing by continuously working with patients and their families to ensure they are discharged at the earliest possible opportunity.”