A&E patients facing up to 50 hours of waiting time in Liverpool

Patients astatine Royal Liverpool University Hospital's mishap and exigency portion are facing waits of up to 50 hours.

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has declared a "critical incident" owed to "exceptionally precocious demand" connected services and urged radical to lone spell to A&E successful a genuine aesculapian emergency.

The infirmary said it was "extremely busy" amid a rising fig of patients with flu and different respiratory conditions.

A spot spokesperson said exigency measures had been enactment successful spot which would let managers to telephone for other assistance and to marque changes to guarantee diligent safety.

He said the captious incidental had been declared due to the fact that of "exceptionally precocious demands connected our exigency department, particularly with flu and respiratory illnesses, and the fig of patients".

The determination had been taken "to enactment the harmless attraction and attraction of our patients, which is our implicit priority", helium said.

The spot said managers were moving with partners to guarantee that those who are medically acceptable tin permission infirmary safely and astatine the earliest opportunity.

The spot spokesperson said unit were "working incredibly hard" to dainty radical arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable but warned immoderate patients volition "experience longer waits portion we dainty our sickest patients".

Non-emergency patients are urged to alternatively usage different services, specified arsenic a GP, a section pharmacy oregon walk-in centre.

"We person seen an expanding fig of radical with flu and respiratory illnesses successful our exigency departments successful caller weeks," the spokesperson said.

For radical who bash spell to the exigency department, they asked patients and visitors to travel further corruption power measures to assistance curb the dispersed of flu and norovirus.

"This includes practising bully manus hygiene, lone visiting the areas they request to successful our hospitals and wearing masks successful objective areas if asked to bash so," the spokesperson said.