"Significant demand" at Rotherham Hospital A&E

Operational pressures reached level four in the NHS ranking, which means local health organisations cannot give comprehensive care and patient safety can be compromised.

Chris Holt, chief operating officer at Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Over recent weeks, we have experienced significant demand from patients attending A&E and needing admission into hospital. 

“As a result, we have at times reached escalation level four, which reflects the pressure we were under from a patient demand perspective. 

“This is not however classed as a major incident. Throughout this time, patient safety was not compromised, thanks to the tremendous hard work of colleagues throughout the trust and our partners across Rotherham. 

“As a result of this, we have continued to see steady improvements and we are now operating at escalation level two.”

Level four was reached twice in Rotherham during the week ending January 6.

The NHS framework says: “Level four means local health and social care organisations are unable to deliver comprehensive care and there is increased potential for patient safety to be compromised.”

Further bad weather and potentially more cases of flu means the staff at Rotherham Hospital are still facing winter challenges.

Mr Holt said: “We would like to remind members of the public that they can do their part to help by ensuring they get the right care, first time by treating common ailments such as cold and flu at home, seeking advice from their pharmacist, walk-in centre or GP. 

“If in doubt about whether you should come to A&E, you can call NHS 111 for advice.”