Royal Stoke hospital remains 'incredibly busy'

A major incident declared at the Royal Stoke Hospital on Monday night has now been dropped

A health boss has warned Royal Stoke University Hospital is still "incredibly busy" despite dropping is major incident status.

Latest figures show fewer than 60% of A&E patients are seen within four hours, compared to the 95% target.

Dr Ann Marie Morris, clinical director of emergency medicine, said the situation had led to a backlog in the rest of the hospital.

A number of operations have been postponed to focus on emergency care.

Royal Stoke is among a number of hospitals across England who declared major incidents earlier this week as staff struggled to cope with patient numbers.

Dr Morris said: "There are still a lot of people who need to be moved through the system.

"So while the emergency department is in a slightly better position this weekend, certainly than it was last weekend, the hospital as a whole is still incredibly busy."

She urged people to seek alternatives if possible and added there had been a 20% rise in the number of people who had gone to Haywood Walk-in Centre in Burslem in the past week, which had eased pressure on the hospital.