High demand hits Derriford Hospital emergency services ahead of winter
Pressure mounts as hospital braces for the challenges of the colder months
Emergency care services at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth's largest hospital, are facing significant pressures due to high demand.
On Monday night, the hospital's Emergency Department faced a substantial number of attendances, leading to a requirement for additional admission beds for adults as they prepare for winter challenges.
Adel Jones, Chief Operating Officer at University Hospitals Plymouth said: “Our Urgent and Emergency Care services continue to experience significant pressures due to high demand and the number of patients requiring admission to Derriford hospital.
"We have experienced high attendances within the Emergency Department, as our teams care for a large number of patients waiting for admission into the hospital while also assessing and treating new arrivals.
"Our teams worked hard throughout Monday night to maintain safe care, prioritising patients based on clinical need, and we have seen the department in a much-improved position.
"We also recognise that there are a significant number of patients who attend the emergency department for conditions that could be more appropriately treated by other services, including primary care and urgent treatment centres.
"We regularly communicate with the public; we ask them to only attend the Emergency Department if they have a serious or life-threatening illness or injury. For urgent health concerns that are not life-threatening, NHS 111 is available online or by phone and can direct people to the most appropriate service, which may include an Urgent Treatment Centre, of which we have UTC Dartmoor, UTC Cumberland, and a Minor Injury Unit at Kingsbridge, a pharmacy, a GP service or another community-based service. Using these alternatives where appropriate helps ensure Emergency Departments are available for those who need them most.”