HEALTH chiefs are urging people to avoid A&E departments unless they have a critical, life-threatening emergency – following eyewitness reports of long waits and packed corridors in Bronglais Hospital.

Patients have contacted the Cambrian News over the weekend and on Monday, telling of long waits and packed corridors in the Aberystwyth hospital’s accident and emergency department, with many ‘only having minor ailments’, according to one eye-witness.

Hywel Dda University Health Board is urging the public to stay away from busy A&E departments unless you have a critical, life-threatening emergency.

A health board spokesperson said: “To ensure that we can treat patients appropriately, and to avoid ambulances queuing up outside our A&Es or being diverted to other hospitals, the health board is urging people to choose their healthcare services very carefully, so that we are only seeing people with urgent or emergency care needs in A&E.

“Together with our partners in local authorities, the third sector and Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust, our focus is on managing the capacity we have in our acute hospitals and busy emergency departments, while also reducing the amount of time patients need to spend in a hospital bed, by providing as much non-emergency and follow up care outside of the hospital environment as we can.

“If you have a friend, family member or loved one who is medically well enough to be discharged from hospital, please help us by coming to pick them up promptly. This will allow us to free up beds faster for acutely unwell patients and keep the patient flow steady through our hospitals.”

Andrew Carruthers, Executive Director of Operations at Hywel Dda, said: “I would like firstly to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to our clinical workforce for your relentless effort and determination to provide the best quality of care possible to our patients and communities often in the most difficult of circumstances.

“The challenges of accessing care and treatment, particularly in the post-Covid era, are well-documented nationally and sadly Hywel Dda is not immune to these.

“The way that we try to manage the challenges we face is by adopting a whole-system approach, which brings together our acute hospitals, primary care and community services, ambulance service, local authorities and the third sector.

“We need everyone to play their part and help – and our public and patients are absolutely key to this.”

If you are unwell and unsure what to do, you can visit the online symptom checker to cross-check your symptoms against a number of common ailments and if directed call NHS 111.

Only attend an Emergency Department if you have a life-threatening illness or serious injury, such as:

• Severe breathing difficulties

• Severe pain or bleeding

• Chest pain or a suspected stroke

• Serious trauma injuries (eg. from a car crash)

If you have a less serious injury then please visit one of our Minor Injury Units. They can treat adults and children over 12-months of age, with injuries such as:

• Minor wounds

• Minor burns or scalds

• Insect bites

• Minor limb, head, or face injuries

• Foreign bodies in the nose or ear