READING hospital bosses are encouraging people to ring 111 due to the A+E department being 'extremely busy'.
The emergency department at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading is busier than usual after a queue of ambulances were seen waiting last night outside.
A member of public shared an image on Twitter of 'at least 16 ambulances queued onto Craven road to get into A&E at Royal Berkshire Hospital.
They were seen lined up waiting at 11pm last night (Thursday, September 9).
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According to the resident, the ambulances were bringing in patients from John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford after they declared Opel 4, which highlights the stress, demand and pressure the hospital is under.
As such, RBH has urged people who don't have urgent or a life threatening condition to ring the NHS on 111 instead of visiting the emergency department.
A spokeswoman said: "Our Emergency Department is extremely busy but we are managing the situation well and making sure that everyone who needs urgent treatment is seen and cared for.
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"We’re asking people who do not have urgent, life threatening conditions to ring NHS111 or go online at 111.nhs.uk where their situation can be assessed and they will be directed to the most appropriate healthcare for their treatment."
They even shared the image to the Chronicle to get the message across the people who are thinking of attending A&E.
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