Managers at the Queen’s Medical Centre have issued another appeal to the public after a sudden surge in the number of people attending its accident and emergency department.
Staff say 641 people attended the unit on Monday, compared with a daily average of 550.
The department is designed for 350 people to come through its doors per day.
The hospital often sees seasonal spikes in demand, leading staff to ask people to consider if they really need to use the department, but they are typically issued in mid-winter.
Monday’s increase led managers to bring extra staff into the department, and take extra action to make sure discharges were sped up appropriately to free up bed space.
Caroline Shaw, Chief Operating Officer at Nottingham University Hospitals, said: “Emergency services across the county have been incredibly pressured over the last 48 hours. 641 patients attended QMC’s Emergency Department on Monday, compared to an average of 550 patients daily.
“Additional, exceptional actions have been agreed with health and social care partners to improve the flow of patients through and out of hospital.
“We ask the people of Nottingham to help by only using our Emergency Department for genuine emergencies and making use of all available health services, including 111, local pharmacies and the urgent care centre in the city centre.”
In December the hospital declared a ‘black alert’ – the second of winter 2016 – because of a severe pressure on hospital services.
The hospital’s ruling trust has previously said it hopes to secure funding for a new accident and emergency department to better cope with demand and turn around poor performance on waiting time targets.
