Trust makes plea over 'extremely busy' hospital

Hospital bosses said the emergency department "is treating almost twice as many patients as it was designed to"

Bosses at a hospital in Nottinghamshire have asked members of the public to help ease the pressure on its "overcrowded" emergency department.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said on Tuesday more than 220 patients attended the unit at King's Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield, making it "extremely busy".

Assessment and treatment of patients is "taking much longer" as a result, the trust's Facebook post said, with 43 patients waiting for more than 12 hours.

The trust said people should only attend the emergency department "if it is an emergency", advising people with non-emergency issues to call 111.

"Our emergency department is treating almost twice as many patients as it was designed to at any one time," it said.

"This is leading to severe overcrowding with all areas over-capacity."