RBH and Poole Hospital see an ‘unprecedented demand’ on A&E services

Last night both hospitals have revealed they are currently witnessing an ‘unprecedented demand on services’ and repeated their warning to only attend A&E if ‘absolutely necessary.’

In the last two weeks alone, 3,500 people went to A&E at Royal Bournemouth Hospital – an increase of 10 per cent for the same period last year.

NHS figures reveal more people than ever before were treated at A&E last year with 88,669 at Royal Bournemouth Hospital (RBH) and 66,348 at Poole Hospital. Of those, 11,433 patients had to wait more than four hours – a rise on the previous year.

Nationally, waits of more than 12 hours among elderly people have more than doubled in two years.

The hospitals have both recently launched a recruitment drive for frontline staff and Royal Bournemouth Hospital has opened a temporary winter care ward to cope with the surge in patients.

The latest figures were released as the prime minister faced a day of pressure over the state of the NHS after medical groups warned of the health service’s worst ever crisis.

The Royal College of Nursing said conditions are the worst they have experienced with concerns from frontline staff about the quality of care they were able to provide including reports of patients waiting up to 23 hours in hospital corridors across the UK.

The BMA warned the NHS is at ‘breaking point’ branding it ‘overstretched and underfunded.’

And in a separate move, a letter from 50 leading doctors from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) called for urgent investment to help ‘over-full hospitals with too few qualified staff’ after warning lives are being put at risk due to mounting pressures on the service.

A spokesman for Royal Bournemouth Hospital said the hospital is witnessing ‘unprecedented demand’ but added measures have been put in place ‘to cope with increased pressures’.

A Poole Hospital spokesman said A&E has experienced ‘a busy start to the new year’ but remains ready to receive patients.