Cold weather causing 'significantly higher demand' for emergency care services

Emergency healthcare services warned of ‘high demand’ at hospitals and ‘significantly longer’ waits for ambulances after temperatures plummeted across Berkshire this week.

The NHS trusts running Wexham Park Hospital and Royal Berkshire Hospital said they were ‘very busy’ amid the cold snap, while regional 999 emergency services have also been under strain.

Freezing temperatures since the turn of the year are expected to continue, reaching as low as minus two degrees on Saturday night (January 10) according to the Met Office.

Cold weather since the turn of the year led to a 20 per cent spike in 999 calls to South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS), which delivers emergency care in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

The Christmas week saw 14,769 emergency calls made to the service and, as the cold weather continued, this rose to 17,468 during the week from December 29 to January 4.

SCAS’ assistant director of operations for the Thames Valley Kirsten Willis-Drewett said some patients were waiting ‘significantly longer’ than 2-3 hours for ‘less urgent issues’.

Ms Willis-Drewett said arriving to hospital by ambulance ‘doesn’t mean you get seen quicker than other patients’ and urged people to ‘make their own way to hospital’ if they can.

SCAS said 999 calls should only be made for a ‘life-threatening or serious emergency’.

NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust, which runs Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, said its hospitals were ‘very busy’ and urged people to ‘please take care in the wintery conditions’.

On social media, the trust said: “Our hospitals are very busy and we are asking for your help:

W Please take care in the wintery conditions – wear appropriate clothing and footwear and take it slowly

W Check in on vulnerable family, friends and neighbours

W Ensure your medicine
and food cupboards are stocked up

W Be ready to collect loved ones as soon as they’re well enough to go home. Collecting them promptly helps free up beds for those that need them. Make sure the heating is on and food is available when they get home.”

The NHS trust running Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading also said it was ‘experiencing significantly high demand’ and patient waiting times were ‘longer than usual’.

A spokesperson said: “Like many other trusts, we are currently experiencing significantly high demand, particularly in our Emergency Department, due to the cold weather and seasonal pressures.

“Delivering safe patient care is an absolute priority and we are working hard to ensure that we treat the patients who really need our help, but this may mean that there are longer waits than usual.

“We are asking the public to help us during this busy period by choosing the right healthcare service for your needs.”

Pharmacies can help with minor illnesses and medical advice can be found by calling 111 or by visiting the 111.nhs.uk website, but emergencies should still call 999.

The spokesperson added: “Please be patient and understanding with our staff who are doing all they can to keep people safe and well looked after.”