The Royal Oldham Hospital is among a number of hospitals in Greater Manchester that are especially busy at the moment
The Royal Oldham Hospital is especially busy this week(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Greater Manchester’s emergency departments are ‘extremely busy’ with reports of some patients waiting more than 50 hours for a bed. The NHS trust that runs hospitals in Salford, Oldham and Bury is experiencing ‘exceptionally high levels of demand’ as its emergency department treats patients with ‘life-threatening’ and ‘critical’ illness and injuries while others face ‘longer waits’.
The Manchester Evening News understands Royal Oldham Hospital is particularly busy, with several sources reporting that some patients have waited more than 50 hours for a bed.
The Northern Care Alliance (NCA), which runs the hospital on Rochdale Road, says waiting times across Oldham’s emergency department remain ‘within normal ranges’ and ‘below reports of 50-hour waits’.
However, one member of staff at the NCA told the Manchester Evening News there was a ’52-hour wait for a bed’ in Oldham last night (December 2). It comes as the government today (December 3) pledged to end corridor care in hospitals across England by 2029, ‘if not sooner’.
The commitment from health secretary Wes Streeting comes as the Royal College of Nursing declares a ‘crisis’ in corridor care with the number of sick patients waiting more than 12 hours in trolleys this winter rising by almost 9,000 per cent over the last six years. It has raised concerns that bed capacity in the NHS has ‘remained unchanged’ since 2019, while bed occupancy levels are regarded ‘unsafe’.
The number of hospital beds in Greater Manchester that are occupied is currently above 90 per cent which is typical for this time of year. NHS bosses in Greater Manchester say they are ‘working hard’ to make sure patients are discharged with the ‘right onward care’.
The Manchester Evening News understands Oldham is among a number of hospitals in Greater Manchester that are especially busy at the moment with flu and other winter viruses putting pressure on services. Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust also warned patients it was ‘busy’ earlier this week. Patients are asked to use other services such as calling NHS 111 for ‘less urgent needs’.
One person who spent last night (December 2) in A&E at North Manchester General Hospital has spoken of an ‘apocalyptic’ and ‘bleak’ experience as staff did their best under ‘crippling pressures’.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital in Crumpsall, has not declared an exceptionally high level of demand, with the current situation typical of this time of year.
The NCA issued a warning to patients last night (December 2), saying that its emergency departments are ‘currently very busy’. The trust has told the Manchester Evening News its A&E departments remain ‘extremely busy’ with a ‘high number of patients requiring urgent care’.
It is understood Oldham’s A&E is the worst affected. However, the NCA has refused to confirm which of its sites are the busiest.
Other hospitals in the trust are also affected, as one senior A&E source in a different hospital said they are seeing ‘similar’, with ‘lots of patients on corridors waiting for beds, and lots of flu and Covid’ affecting people.
In mid-November, another senior figure in Greater Manchester’s NHS agreed that flu cases were hampering hospitals across the region, telling the Manchester Evening News rates of the illness were going ‘through the roof’.
Dr Zahid Chauhan, a GP and Labour councillor in Oldham, said ‘winter has started early’, with ‘lots of viruses’ spreading. He urged people to ‘use all resources appropriately’, going to pharmacies, GPs and calling 111 before attending A&E.
He added: “We know this is the historic underfunding of resources in hospitals. This particularly affects places like Oldham with deprivation and chronic illnesses. We need more beds. We need more resources. That’s a national conversation we need to have.”
Earlier this year, the Royal College of Nursing set out how patients are being treated in ‘distressing and undignified’ circumstances, risking their safety. Asked about this on LBC this morning (December 3), Ms Streeting said: “This is something I think we are giving urgency and focus and attention to, but I would accept that what they are describing in terms of the conditions that their members are working in, their patients are being treated in, I absolutely accept what they are saying and their characterisation of that.”
“I am giving it urgency, but I would accept that there is a lot more to do and I want to put my foot down on the accelerator, and I want to work with the RCN to do that.”
A spokesperson for NHS Greater Manchester said: “Local hospitals are currently extremely busy due to the usual seasonal pressures and winter illnesses. To help services manage demand and ensure you get the right care in the right place, please use NHS 111 online or by phone for advice, where a clinical professional can provide expert guidance if needed.
“You can also make the most of local primary care services – including your GP, dentist, pharmacist, and optician – for less urgent needs and ongoing care. If you’re eligible, getting your flu jab is one of the best ways to protect yourself and reduce pressure on the NHS this winter.
“Home or another residential setting is usually the best place to get better. Following guidance after leaving hospital helps you stay safe and makes sure beds are available for those who need them most.”