Stretched to the limit

Date published: 15 January 2015


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An Oldham NHS chief is urging the public to avoid a dangerous winter accident-and-emergency meltdown.

In an uncompromising video by Dr Ian Wilkinson, chief clinical officer of NHS Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group, the Chadderton GP points the finger at people who misuse the service by being “too impatient” to wait for a GP appointment.

The doctor says some people use A&E as their “clinic of choice for all illnesses.”

Dr Wilkinson suggests clogging A&E departments - including the Royal Oldham’s - with non-urgent cases, could lead to the avoidable death of a seriously-ill patient.

Dr Wilkinson, an Oldham GP for 34 years, said: “I’ve made this message because frankly, A&E is stretched to the absolute limit. Half the people who go don’t need any treatment at all.

“I’ve highlighted the need for all of us to take care of ourselves, to think about alternatives like local pharmacies and for people to rethink what ‘urgent’ really means.

In the run up to Christmas, the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust - which runs three A&E departments in Oldham, Bury and North Manchester and the Urgent Care Centre at Rochdale Infirmary - saw 1,093 on one day, its highest number ever.

The Royal Oldham Hospital saw the greatest number of would-be patients, and an average 80 more patients were seen each day compared to last year.