Wrexham Maelor Hospital delays as emergency admissions rise 30%

"Staff are working incredibly hard," said Tim Lynch from the health board

Wrexham Maelor Hospital has seen a 30% rise in emergency admissions putting pressure on bed spaces, say bosses.

The knock-on effect has caused delays in getting people into the hospital's emergency department with ambulances queuing outside.

The spike in demand came last week and continues to be felt across the hospital's wards, according to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

Bosses said they were trying to open additional temporary beds.

"But to do this we have to be sure we can bring in enough extra nurses to safely look after the patients in these beds," said Tim Lynch, interim director of secondary care.

"Our staff are working incredibly hard to make sure that patients are getting the care they need and we can only ask for people's patience and understanding while we try to manage this difficult situation."

The hospital said it could not say what had caused the increase in the demand, but that there was a high number of seriously ill patients admitted who needed a longer stay in hospital to recover.