Doncaster hospitals under pressure after 600 A&E visits in one day

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has urged people to ‘think of the alternatives’ with ‘slips, trips, broken bones’ as well as Covid and flu admissions putting the NHS under pressure locally.

And insiders at the hospital have said patients are facing lengthy waits and are having to sit on floors because of the number of admissions in recent days.

A spokesman said: “Our emergency departments remain very busy.

"Yesterday, our departments in Doncaster and Bassetlaw cared for 325 and 202 patients respectively.

"Please can we ask local people to only use these services when your health need is urgent and/or life threatening. For anything else please think of the alternatives - thank you.”

Numerous visitors have reported seeing queues of ambulances outside the hospital in Armthorpe Road with some patients reportedly waiting several hours to be admitted.

One insider said that a number of “very sick people” had waited more than ten hours to be seen, some sat on floors for “hours and hours.”

They added that new housing in the Doncaster area was adding pressure to the healthcare system and added: “The hospital really needs help, expansion and modernisation.”

The Trust statement added: “To give you a sense of the challenge, yesterday we cared for almost 600 patients across both sites, and today is shaping up to be similar with viral illnesses, slips, trips and broken bones, as well as other general health issues being presented to us."

People are urged to contact their GP, NHS 111, pharmacies and the Same Day Health Centre or Minor Injuries Unit for none life threatening or urgent care.

In addition, hospitals are also caring for nearly 30 Covid-positive patients.

The spokesman added: “This has stayed mercifully low throughout the past few weeks, and hopefully it will continue to decline as we edge ever closer to Christmas.

"We are however seeing more cases of illnesses such as flu, so if you are out and about, or feeling under the weather, please look after yourself. Wrap up, stay warm and get cosy.”