GREAT Western Hospital says it is committed to managing high demand on its services, as a new report found winter pressures faced by the NHS are “the new normal” all year-round.

Experts from health charities the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation said demands on the NHS during winter are now becoming “increasingly visible” at other times of the year.

These include long trolley waits, where patients are admitted but must wait for beds, lengthy ambulance response times, and increased demand on A&E services.

A Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said working to improve patient flow through the hospital would lessen the demand on the trust’s services.

“Demand for all services is high all year round and our real challenge is caring for an increasing number of patients who need to be admitted into hospital. Therefore as well as providing safe and high quality care, our priority is ensuring patients can leave hospital when they are well enough, in a well-planned and supported way," he said.

“A smooth discharge is reliant on the whole local health and social care system working together so that arrangements for further care and support can be made early on. We also continue to work with our partners to help prevent potentially avoidable attendances and admissions.”

The NHS usually sees a spike in demand in the winter due to additional illnesses and colder weather which can affect vulnerable groups in society.

Tim Gardner, senior fellow at the Health Foundation, said: "Infection rates, bed capacity, the health of older people and how they are supported in the community and the rising demand all contribute to the pressure the NHS experiences during winter.

"All these factors need to be understood better, in particular the impact of threadbare social care."

Dr Clifford Mann, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: "A&Es are under pressure all year round with more attendances in the summer and more admissions in the winter.

"Recent reductions in the number of available beds exacerbate an already overstretched system and in consequence more and more patients experience unacceptable delays.

"The resources needed to address these challenges are evident to all; sufficient permanent staff, both doctors and nurses in our A&E departments and beds promptly available for patients when needed."