Due to a significant rise in cases of winter infections, health professionals at the Emergency Department at Bradford Royal Infirmary are urging the public for support in reducing overcrowding.
For adults, the person needing care and treatment can be accompanied into the Emergency (A&E) Department by one person, however if the waiting room becomes overcrowded, people accompanying non-vulnerable patients may be asked to leave the department. For people attending the Paediatric Emergency Department, families should send one parent or carer with each child.
Chief Nurse at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Karen Dawber, said:
We are once again appealing for public support in following our one child, one parent rule as we are seeing multiple members of families and siblings attending with a child, meaning that there has been significant overcrowding and an increased risk of infection.
Space is limited in the Emergency Department and we want the experience to be comfortable for all people attending A&E that are waiting to be seen, so that’s why we really need people to help us avoid overcrowding in the department. If you attend, we ask you to be considerate to our staff and other patients, and to follow any directions given by our team.
The Trust urges all residents in Bradford to think carefully before heading to A&E so that patients who need urgent help get the treatment they require. Self-care is the best option if a person is suffering from a hangover, a grazed knee, a cough, a sore throat or similar ailment.
Symptoms such as diarrhoea, a runny nose, painful cough and headache can be treated with the help of a pharmacist. People are advised to make a GP appointment for symptoms including severe back pain, stomach ache, ear ache and vomiting. If help is needed quickly and it is not clear what to do call NHS 111.
By choosing and using the right health services, patients can expect to be seen or treated more quickly, while keeping emergency services free for those patients with serious and life-threatening illnesses. We need to keep A&E departments for those people who are extremely unwell and need urgent medical attention.