PATIENTS are being urged to visit A&E only if they are seriously ill, as pressure mounts on services across the borough.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRT) and NHS Redbridge are advising people to make sure they are definitely in need of treatment before visiting the centres.

Patients are being warned they could face long waits, despite the Trust bringing in extra staff and speeding up discharge times.

On Monday (January 4) 226 visited the A&E at King George, but only 39 were admitted, while 397 people went to the service at Queen’s, with just 71 needing to be kept in.

Dr Magda Smith, divisional director of medicine and accident and emergency, said: “We are doing all we can to ease the pressures on our A&E departments. Our staff are working extremely hard and we are liaising with our PCT colleagues to increase the number of beds available.

“But we also need the public’s help, and would ask people to think carefully about whether they need to come to accident & emergency. With the current cold conditions we are expecting this problem to continue for some time, and would be grateful for people’s co-operation and understanding.”