FEARS that Accident and Emergency departments will struggle with an influx of patients needing treatment this winter, health bosses in Swindon have urged patients to only use the department in a real emergency.

Health experts at SEQOL are reminding people who need prompt medical attention but who are not emergency cases of the best ways to access appropriate treatment.

As winter approaches, Great Western Hospital’s accident and emergency department will almost certainly come under increased pressure, yet for some patients who attend A&E it may be more appropriate to be seen elsewhere for treatment.

SEQOL’s clinical director, Dr Paul Dryden, explained that people in Swindon and Shrivenham who feel that they need to see a doctor or nurse urgently but who are not medical emergencies can access a range of services if they can’t get a GP appointment the same day.

Alternatives include attending SEQOL’s urgent care centre, one of the two children’s clinics, or having a home visit by a SEQOL out-of-hours GP.

“If you need to be seen by a nurse or doctor, the SEQOL urgent care centre next to the Great Western Hospital can see you anytime night or day, 365 days a year, and you can walk in without making a previous appointment,” said Dr Dryden.

“Our out-of-hours GP service provides GP home visits for patients who need to be seen urgently but are not well enough to travel to the urgent care centre.”

The warning came after it was revealed that waiting times at A&E departments across the country were getting worse, while pressures were growing in hospitals.

Figures revealed by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine showed that only 88 per cent of A&E patients received treatment or were admitted within four hours. This is below the national target of 95 per cent. Their research was conducted at 40 hospitals across the country.

SEQOL also runs two children’s clinics which are open Mondays to Fridays between 8am and 8pm, where children who are unwell and can’t get an urgent GP appointment can be seen the same day.

To contact any of the above services call SEQOL on 01793 646 466.

Patients can also visit the walk-in centre in Swindon’s town centre, in Carfax Street, almost opposite the bus station, without an appointment, any time between 7am and 8pm from Monday to Friday, and between 8am and 8pm at weekends.

To contact any of the above services call Carfax Health Enterprise on 01793 541655.