Great Western Hospital under 'significant pressure' as winter approaches
They say they're working hard to minimise delays
Swindon's Great Western Hospital tell us urgent and emergency services are under significant pressure - as new stats show they've got the longest ambulance handover times in the country.
They say they're working hard to minimise delays - but the high demand means they're having to prioritise patients with the most life threatening conditions.
Their message is to only call 999 in an emergency.
This all comes as NHS England data shows that the vast majority of patients were waiting over 30 minutes to be handed to hospital teams between November 25 and December 1.
A spokesperson for Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust told Greatest Hits Radio: “Our urgent and emergency care services are currently under significant pressure, which unfortunately means some patients remain in the care of the ambulance service, following assessment by hospital staff, so that patients with the most life-threatening conditions can be prioritised first.
“We are working hard to minimise delays so that ambulances are released as quickly as possible to attend the next emergency call within the community.
“We continue to work alongside health and care partners across Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire to ensure patients access care in the right place first time. The public can support us at this time by only calling 999 in a life-threatening emergency and using NHS 111 online for other health conditions.”