Yeovil Hospital: Record day for A&E admissions prompts appeal
- Published
The hospital's A&E department has experienced its busiest day on record
A hospital boss has pleaded with people not to go to A&E unless absolutely necessary after experiencing its busiest day on record.
Jonathan Higman, the chief executive of Yeovil Hospital in Somerset, posted the message in a video on Twitter.
He asked people to call 111 instead and apologised for delays.
"We remain extremely busy today and staff are working hard to ensure that patients can continue to be seen and looked after properly," he said.
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A spokesman for the hospital said the Easter holiday had led to a "huge increase in demand".
Normally, the A&E department sees about 160 patients in 24 hours but on Tuesday saw 228. The previous record was 200.
But he told the BBC that neither the Easter staffing levels or the recent hot weather were to blame.
Mr Higman added there was no "discernable trend" in the types of illness or injuries that were being seen.
The hospital is appealing for people to avoid turning up if there are other avenues to get treatment such as the 111 service or a local GP.