Salisbury District Hospital under 'relentless' pressure

Salisbury District Hospital has a backlog of patients ready for discharge

A hospital boss has warned the pressure on the NHS is "relentless" and is urging people to get the flu jab.

Last month, around 500 A&E patients at Salisbury District Hospital in Wiltshire waited more than 12 hours to be admitted to wards.

As well as staff shortages, the hospital is struggling with a backlog of patients ready for discharge but with nowhere to go.

Seasonal illnesses like flu are adding to the problem.

Stacey Hunter, chief executive of Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, said there were typically more than 100 people who were "medically ready to leave but needed some kind of ongoing care" at the hospital - occupying around a quarter of its beds.

Being unable to discharge ward patients is a large part of the reason for A&E being full and unable to unload ambulances.

LISTEN: BBC Radio Wiltshire asks if Salisbury's hospital has the funding to cope, and advice for local patients

Ms Hunter said "a handful" of Salisbury patients may have waited longer than twelve hours for a bed a year ago, but in December more than 500 had done so.

Non-emergency patients have been urged to contact 111 or use the walk-in facility in Salisbury city centre

She called on the public to get a flu vaccine if they are eligible, to ease the pressure on the NHS.

Ms Hunter said the virus was "making people really unwell this year" with some patients ending up in critical care.

She emphasised that patients who thought they needed emergency help should still head to A&E, but those with conditions that were not life-threatening could "experience a longer wait".

Non-emergency patients have been urged to contact 111 or use the walk-in facility in Salisbury city centre.

But unlike several hospitals in the west of England, no one at Salisbury District Hospital has been waiting more than 24 hours.

'Rise in demand'

Jane Davies, Wiltshire Council's cabinet member for adult social care, said meeting patients' social care needs was a challenge.

"As with many other parts of the country, Wiltshire has experienced a rise in demand for social care which can often be complex," Ms Davies said.

She added the council was doing what it could with partners to speed up people being discharged.

But Wiltshire's care workers recently said they were struggling to recruit anywhere near enough staff to cope.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We've backed the NHS and social care with up to £14.1bn additional funding over the next two years and this winter we have provided an extra £500m to speed up hospital discharge and free up beds."

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