Dr. Sandy Nelson says Altnagelvin A&E ‘under extreme pressure’ and ‘completely overflowing with patients’

Transcript

00:00Hi there, my name is Sandy Nelson, I'm one of the Trust Consultants in the Emergency

00:04and Medicine Department in Alton McAlpin.

00:05I've been asked to speak to you today, it's about 12pm on the 24th of September, just

00:10to give you an update of the situation we find ourselves in currently.

00:14We have 109 patients in the department and 58 of them are awaiting a bed.

00:19We are completely overflowing, we have very little space to see patients, but we are doing

00:24our best to prioritise the most unwell patients and see them properly.

00:28Our message is still attend if you are unwell and we will endeavour our best to get you

00:32the best care that we can provide at this time.

00:35What can you do to help us out?

00:37You can attend alone, the department is overflowing with patients as I say and if you can attend

00:42by yourself it just eases a little bit of the space pressures we are under.

00:46Phone first for minor injuries and we will give you an appointment to attend our minor

00:50injuries unit and if you can and have a relative that is medically fit for discharge in the

00:56hospital, if you can expedite their discharge home as soon as possible, that will create

01:01beds in the hospital and allow us to move patients out and improve flow through the

01:05department.

01:06As I say, if you are unwell, please do continue to attend the department but just be aware

01:11that we are under extreme pressure at this time.