Bolton’s NHS leaders have urged people to help take the pressure off health services after findings revealed hundreds of patients were left waiting on trolleys.

A recent Clinical Commissioning Group report found that in April, 273 people had to wait on trolleys before being given a bed at Royal Bolton Hospital while 309 patients had to wait an hour or more to be handed over to the hospital by paramedics.

In response, hospital chiefs say they need to prioritise the sickest patients and have said the public can help by checking to see what services are appropriate for them before going to hospital.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust director of operations Jo Street said: “We continue to be very busy and our staff are working extremely hard to ensure all of our patients get the care they need safely, effectively and as quickly as possible.

“We are here and available for those who need us and encourage those who require urgent medical help to continue to come forward.

“Periods of pressure do lead to longer waits, where we need to prioritise our sickest patients, so we urge anyone to use NHS 111 online before accessing NHS services to find the most appropriate place for your needs.”

The trust has also said that it is working to make sure parents spend less time waiting for ambulance handovers after the same report found that 309 patients had to wait an hour or more to be handed over to the hospital by paramedics.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust chief nurse Tyrone Roberts said: “The length of time patients are waiting to enter our emergency department when arriving via NWAS is improving.

“Our priority is to make sure people get the care they need as soon as they can, and this in turn frees up ambulances to help more patients.

“We continue to work with our partners to improve and reduce these wait times.

“Please only attend our emergency department if you need to and access NHS 111 online if you are unsure about the right NHS service for you.”

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