Health Board apologises after a weekend of long A&E waiting times

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the Wrexham area

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Mar 27th, 2018

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has issued an apology and says it is “working very hard to reduce demands” on its emergency department following an extremely busy weekend at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

Some patients visiting A&E have reported long delays over the past three days, with some saying they had been waiting to be seen for over 12 hours.

Several ambulances were also seen queuing outside A&E at various points over the weekend.

Tweeting on Friday evening, Alison said: “Mum is in A&E and has been since 3pm (and is not a time waster). Some people have been here since 10am.

“Not the wonderful NHS staff’s fault in the slightest but what on earth can be done to improve this mess? Surely it can’t get any worse!”

Similar comments were made by Mickey on Saturday, who said: “My wife was waiting 16 hours at Wrexham before being seen.

“Now we have been sent to Glan Clywd where the waiting continues. Two hours and counting so far.”

Whilst there were comments over the weekend about the waiting times, a lot of praise and sympathy was also directed at the staff for their hard work.

On Monday an apology was issued for the delays experienced over the weekend, with patients who are not in need of emergency hospital treatment being urged to use alternative NHS services.

David Donegan, director of secondary care for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “Our emergency departments across North Wales have been extremely busy over the weekend, and we apologise for longer waiting times than usual.

“Patients are always prioritised according to their clinical need, ensuring those who have a higher clinical risk are treated and moved into appropriate departments as soon as possible, and monitored throughout their time in our Emergency Departments.

“We are working very hard across the Health Board to reduce the demands on our emergency care services by directing patients to the most appropriate setting for treatment.

“Patients who do not need full emergency hospital treatment may find that they can get appropriate advice and care from other NHS services, including our minor injuries units, local pharmacists or by calling NHS Direct Wales on 0845 46 47.”