Borders General Hospital full to capacity

Borders General Hospital is full to capacity with staff and services under “extreme pressure”, a spokesperson has revealed.

All beds at the hospital are full and the Emergency Department is “exceptionally busy”, with a number of people requiring admission.

Members of the public have been warned they face long waits if they attend the department.

And it has emerged that scheduled operations may need to be cancelled to help cope with the pressures.

Today an NHS Borders spokesperson apologised for the situation saying: “We are sorry if you or your family has a long wait”, adding: “The situation remains under constant review. We are working hard to minimise disruption however there may be times where we need to cancel scheduled operations at short notice to maintain patient and staff safety.

“Taking these decisions is not easy but it can be necessary to make sure that we are able to continue vital services during challenging times.

“If you think you need medical attention please ensure you seek the right care from the right place.”

Unless it is a life threatening emergency the public are being urged not to attend the Emergency Department before calling NHS 24 on 111 first to be sign-posted to the right place to get the advice or care that you need.

You may need to wait a while for your call to be answered or for a member of the team to call you back, but this can be done in the comfort of your own home.

If you do need to be seen you may be given an appointment time to minimise the time you need to spend in the department. This also reduces pressure on hospital team.

The spokesperson added: “Please remember that our staff are working as hard as they can and you will be seen according to clinical priority. Please be patient and polite.

“If you think that your condition is immediately life threatening you should call 999.

“If you are unwell please play your part and help protect yourself and others by staying at home and not visiting relatives who are in hospital.

“We are sorry to all of our patients for any disruption to their care and appreciate how frustrating this can be.”