A&E DEPARTMENTS across the country are now stretched to the limit, incuding at Swindon’s Great Western Hospital.

Many struggled so much so that they’ve been forced to declare ‘major incidents’ as resources were stretched.

Thankfully, this wasn’t the case at GWH, although staff did still encounter struggles as numbers rose.

Chief executive of the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Nerissa Vaughan, today pay tribute to their efforts through the Adver.

Due to an increased number of people using GWH’s A&E, the hospital had to postpone non-urgent operations to prioritise those who were in need of urgent care, while the South Western Ambulance Service put up a treatment tent to deal with any potential overflow, although the facility wasn’t used.

NHS England sets a benchmark that 95 per cent of patients going to A&E should be seen within four hours. At GWH currently they are only dealing with 84.2 per cent in that time frame.

This figure has risen in recent weeks and GWH claim they’re working hard to address the problems.

Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, has cited an ageing population as one of the factors that has seen the nation’s A&E departments struggle.

“There is a huge amount of pressure, that is absolutely clear,” he said.

“It is sometimes quite distressing when you have a lot of patients and you can’t give them the care that you want to give them.

“Targets matter but not at any cost. The priority is to treat people with dignity and respect.”

The letter from GWH’s executive:

"It’s been an incredibly busy start to the year for staff working at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, in our community hospitals and in people’s homes across Wiltshire.

Along with the rest of the NHS, we have experienced unprecedented demand for our services which you will have seen widely reported in the media.

As anyone working in the NHS will tell you, this is one of the toughest times anyone can remember. We are now caring for around 1,300 more unplanned patients a month, than we were in 2011. Attendances to A&E have been significantly higher than last year, with almost 800 more patients attending in December, compared with last year.

As we all live longer, more of us rely on health and social care services, so we expect demand for our services to continue to increase for some time.

There is no doubt it’s challenging. As we prioritise patients needing the most urgent care, at the busiest times, some patients in A&E are waiting longer than we would like.

The fact is, the challenges facing the NHS can’t be solved by a single hospital or organisation.

It relies on all local health and social care services working together, to keep people well and out of hospital and making sure beds are available for those who cannot be cared for anywhere else. And that is what we’re doing. Regardless of how busy things get, providing good, safe care is always our priority.

At the same time, we need to support our staff to help them deliver the best care they can. Caring for others is one of the most rewarding, yet toughest jobs, there is.

They are always there for us, at the most difficult times in our lives, doing all they can.

I am incredibly proud of how hard all of our staff are working to treat the high numbers of patients we are seeing, those caring for patients and those behind the scenes.

The incredible level of loyalty, dedication and hard work I see on a daily basis is humbling. I am truly grateful, and judging from the comments I get from local people, I know many local people are too.

I have great confidence in this organisation and in all of our staff and I would like to express my sincere thanks for their hard work and dedication.

We can all do our bit to help during these busy times. Please look out for elderly friends, relatives and neighbours and encourage them to seek help early on.

Around one in four people attending A&E could be treated more quickly elsewhere, so always consider the different local healthcare services available. 

Find out more on our website www.ghw.nhs.uk."