THE Great Western Hospital’s A&E department must only be used for life-threatening emergencies, say doctors.

It comes after a particularly busy winter period in which the Red Cross said that NHS trusts across the country were in the midst of a “humanitarian crisis”.

Health bosses at the GWH have reminded members of the public that A&E, already running at full capacity, must only be used under the most serious circumstances.

A spokesman from the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Although we are very busy at the moment, the message for attending the Emergency Department remains the same as ever, which is to only use it for genuine life-threatening illnesses and injuries.

“Swindon has some excellent healthcare services which can provide people with care and treatment for less serious conditions, such as the Urgent Care Centre at the Great Western Hospital and the Carfax Street Walk-In Centre in the town centre.”

Earlier this week, 72-year-old patient Rosemary Butler, from Wroughton, praised hospital staff for their tireless work when she was rushed to hospital after her cellulitis flared up.

Although grateful for the treatment she received, Rosemary was shocked at how busy the A&E department was, branding it “organised chaos”.

She said: “The medical people do a very difficult job in very difficult conditions,” and she described her luck at being seen by a doctor within a matter of minutes as a “miracle” considering how busy it was.

Throughout Wiltshire, more than 5,000 people attended A&E departments at Royal United Hospital, Bath, the Great Western Hospital and Salisbury District Hospital between December 31 and January 8 of this year. Yet only 33 per cent of those people actually needed urgent or emergency treatment.

Over the past month, people have attended A&E departments with minor ailments which are not serious or life-threatening, including coughs, colds and sore throats, toothache, sickness and diarrhoea, backache and, perhaps most bizarrely, broken finger nails.

Offering further advice to patients, health bosses at the GWH added: “The NHS111 helpline can offer advice to anyone unsure of where to go. But in the event of an emergency situation, people should never hesitate to call 999 or visit the Emergency Department.”

Dr Peter Jenkins, GP and chairman of NHS Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Your GP should always be the first port of call for most medical problems unless it is a serious or life threatening emergency.

"If in doubt, the free NHS 111 number is available 24/7 for medical advice.

“If you have made a GP appointment which you don’t need any more, we urge you to cancel. If you don’t, you prevent other patients from being seen.”