If you have ever been to Accident and Emergency at the Royal Bolton Hospital,or any hospital for that matter, you know you are in for a long wait!
You look around the waiting room and get the feeling that a large percentage of the people there could have been dealt with by their GP or NHS Direct or another service.
It seems that A&E services in Bolton are being stretched to the limit and Hospital bosses are really urging people to consider how urgent their case is after revealing figures that they sent over 40,000 people away without treatment in the last 12 months!
Graham Atkinson NHS Bolton states "A&E and 999 services are for people with life-threatening or serious conditions that need immediate attention such as heart attacks or serious accidents"
Bolton residents are being urged to use other services such as their GP, walk in centres, pharmacy or to contact NHS Direct and to consider self-care first.
Of course if your condition is serious, you will be treated at the hospital and should not delay treatment if you are concerned about your's or someone else's condition.
