Cumbria hospitals: Long waits as A&E under 'significant' pressure

A&E pressures have increased at Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary

Patients are experiencing long waits for treatment at under-pressure hospitals in north Cumbria.

Accident and emergency departments at Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital have seen a "significant increase" in attendance recently, a consultant said.

The pressure is expected to worsen when junior doctor strikes begin next week.

Those with issues that are not life-threatening or serious are encouraged to seek help elsewhere.

'Long waits'

People with non-urgent conditions will have to wait "a number of hours to be seen" if they arrive at A&E, according to consultant Dr Emma Farrow.

She said during this week there had been times when hundreds of people were waiting to be seen across the Carlisle and Whitehaven hospital sites.

"Once you have been seen, those who need to be admitted are experiencing very long waits for a bed because of the number of people already in hospital," she added.

West Cumberland Hospital has seen stark increases in patients attending A&E

Dr Farrow said A&E is always appropriate for those most in need and with life-threatening conditions, but urged those with less serious conditions to access urgent health care by seeing their GP or pharmacist, calling 111, or attending one of the urgent treatment centres in Penrith or Keswick.

The North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust is also working to discharge patients in a timely way, so that those needing acute care can be admitted.

The Trust is trying to ensure as many services as possible are maintained during next week's strikes, which will take place between 20 December and 23 December.

Dr Adrian Clements, executive medical director at the Trust said: "We will need to stand down some planned appointments and procedures but we will contact anyone who is affected by this directly."

He added that it was "very important" patients attend appointments unless they have been contacted.