Wrexham patients urged to think about A&E visits

Wrexham Maelor hospital saw 5,190 patients at A&E in August

Health officials have asked the public to consider whether they need to go to Wrexham's A&E unit, after experiencing an "exceptionally busy" period.

Staff at the Maelor Hospital said operational plans for the weekend had been reviewed in light of pressure on the emergency department on Thursday.

Early on Friday evening, waiting times were already at three hours, according to the NHS Wales Choose Well service.

The hospital teams said patients should only attend "where it is appropriate".

"Thursday was an exceptionally busy day for our emergency department. We had higher than usual attendances and admissions which contributed to a large number of patients throughout the day," said Gareth Robinson, Wrexham Maelor's managing director.

"Our usual capacity is also slightly more constrained given the changes we have had to make to the way we care for patients as a result of Covid."

He said triage processes in the emergency department meant patients were treated on a "clinical need basis" and were cared for "appropriately".

"I would also like to take this opportunity to ask our public to check where the best place to access care is, and only attend [the emergency department] for those conditions where it is appropriate," he added.