ONE in three people who attend A&E at Bradford Royal Infirmary are ‘timewasters’ who should have sought medical help elsewhere, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal.

Bosses at BRI and at Airedale Hospital in Steeton last night apologised to genuine patients who have been forced to wait longer because of “sheer numbers” of people who attend A&E without good reason.

NHS data published yesterday shows that the rise in the numbers of A&E patients at both hospitals in 2015/16 exceeded the national average rise of 2.2 per cent.

A&E staff at BRI treated almost 3,000 more patients than in 2014/15, while Airedale saw an increase of more than 1,800 patients.

Dr Bryan Gill, medical director of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our priority is to maintain patient safety and to treat people as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“I apologise to anyone who attended our Emergency Department and had to wait longer than we would have liked due to the sheer numbers of people needing help.

“We estimate that about 30 per cent of attendees to our Emergency Department could have seen a pharmacist or GP instead of coming to the hospital.

“I would urge these people - whose conditions are not life-threatening or an emergency - to access these services first.”

He added: “Please think carefully before coming to our Emergency Department so that you leave it free to deal with those patients who really need our help.

“Attending with less serious conditions – which could have been dealt with either by a pharmacist or GP – clogs up our system and takes valuable resources away from those most vulnerable and sickest patients.”

Airedale Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s chief operating officer Stacey Hunter said it was also under “significant pressure” experiencing higher than usual numbers.

Government guidelines dictate that every patient who attend A&E should be seen in four hours but Ms Hunter said after an extremely busy Christmas and New Year, the hospital was continuing to experience being hard pressed and seeing increased numbers coming to A&E.

She said: “We apologise to people who have attended our Emergency Department and have had to wait longer than we would have liked.

“We’re asking all patients to think carefully before coming to A&E. Members of the public can really help by making sure that if they do choose to come to A&E for treatment, that it is the best place for them to go to get the right care, as soon as possible.”

Both Dr Gill and Ms Hunter also praised their “hardworking staff” taking on extra shifts to cope with the increased numbers of patients.

But their warnings have come after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested in the House of Commons earlier this week that patients attending A&E units with less serious problems might no longer be guaranteed to be seen in four hours.

Mr Hunt said while the Government was committed to maintaining the four hour target, if the standard was to be protected it might need to be applied to only those patients with urgent needs rather than minor problems.

Latest NHS England A&E data for October 2016 shows that there were 11,514 A&E attendances in BRI that month with 85 per cent patients being dealt with within four hours compared to 93.5 per cent in October 2015.

In the same month 4,852 people attended A&E at Airedale with 90.2 per cent of them being dealt with within four hours compared to 95.1 per cent in October 2015.

The NHS is stressing that Emergency Departments are for accidents and emergencies only, such as severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, significant head injuries and broken bones.

Alternatives to get help when not seriously ill include calling NHS 111, seeing a GP or visiting a community pharmacist.

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