West's hospitals under pressure ahead of winter

Figures show 758 patients waited on trolleys for more than 12 hours at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust sites in August

A health commissioning body has warned services are already under "sustained pressure" going into winter.

Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board said the colder months would be "challenging".

Lack of social care places for patients ready for discharge is among the problems its hospitals face.

In August, 40.4% North Bristol NHS Trust's beds, or 365, were occupied by patients who had nowhere to go.

At the United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, 42.5% of beds, or 226 patients, fell into this category.

The figures were released in an Integrated Care Board meeting on 6 October.

The board said it was working hard to "improve patient flow through hospitals".

There were also high numbers of people waiting on trolleys - the trust running the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Weston General Hospital reported 758 waits of more than 12 hours in August.

Elsewhere, the data showed the helpline for non-urgent medical advice was under strain over the summer.

In July, 8,658 people or 28.4% of 111 callers hung up while in the queue.

Across the service in England, an average of 16.3% of 111 calls were abandoned over the same period.

Pressure is typically higher in winter months due to respiratory infections and is being exacerbated by Covid

Christina Cook, regional organiser for the union Unison said the problems were the worst she had known in 20 years.

"The biggest issue is staff shortages," she said.

"We have a recruitment and retention crisis, and that's the biggest obstacle in improving anything that we need to do."

A spokesperson for the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board said: "We're working hard to prepare for an exceptionally challenging winter season.

"Services are already under sustained pressure and these are likely to increase as more people are admitted to hospital with flu and Covid infections.

"Alongside a comprehensive vaccination programme, we will be investing in measures to significantly increase our hospital bed capacity, enhance community healthcare and improve patient 'flow' through our hospitals."