Visitors to Harrogate Hospital asked not abuse or take out frustration on staff
Wait times have increased at the hospital's A&E department
Patients at Harrogate Hospital are being urged to not take out frustrations on staff.
It's as some could face a 12 hour delay when waiting for treatment at A&E, with the trust seeing a rise in the number of patients attending in the last fortnight.
There has been a 15% increase in people needing urgent care in the last two weeks, compared to the same period last year.
Rachael Stray, operational director for long term and unscheduled care, said:
"I don't think we can take the impact too lightly. The impact on staff in terms of us being into year three now of covid. The impact that has had on workload and pressure has been immense.
"The relentless pressure on our emergency departments over the last few, not even weeks but months and years, has put enormous pressure on our fantastic teams.
"Where we can support our teams further, we are. But the impact of covid absences and the high rate that we're seeing in our district is putting further pressure on an already very overstretched team."
Yesterday (6 April 2022), six hospitals issued a joint warning for people to stay away from emergency departments except for in "genuine, life-threatening situations", after a surge in numbers left some patients waiting for up to 12 hours.
Hospital trusts across West Yorkshire and Harrogate in North Yorkshire - an area covering more than 2.5 million people - said the current pressures have left them with no choice but to prioritise patients presenting with acute illness or injuries.