Hospital patients urged to 'wait alone'

Southampton General Hospital is experiencing pressures on bed availability and staff sickness, leading to long waiting times

A hospital trust is asking patients to attend its emergency department alone, if possible, as demand rises.

The University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust said Southampton General Hospital was currently seeing more than 450 people a day arriving at its A&E.

The trust said that it was not a critical incident but extra pressure on bed availability was resulting in long waiting times.

It appealed to patients to "wait alone to reduce the number of people in the waiting area" whenever possible.

The trust added that many people who were attending were suffering with winter illness.

It said there were more than100 patients in hospital with flu or another respiratory condition.

There was also an increase in staff sickness, a trust spokesperson said.

"The combination of these issues means there is a long wait time in our ED, and we are also having to ask people – wherever possible – to wait alone to reduce the number of people in the waiting area."

The trust's advice is only to come to A&E for life or limb-threatening illnesses. Anyone wanting to visit patients should avoid coming to hospital if they are feeling unwell themselves.