Ambulances Queue Outside Royal Stoke As A&E Waits Hit Three Hours, Here's Where Else You Can Go

More than a dozen ambulances were pictured queuing outside Royal Stoke University Hospital in Hartshill this morning (Friday 2 October), lining the road beside the emergency department and the helipad.

Live waiting-time data from University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM), shown on its WaitSmart service, gave an estimated A&E wait of around three hours just before 8am, with 82 people waiting.

Waits had stayed at around that level through the night, at between about two and three hours over the past 24 hours. At County Hospital in Stafford, which is also run by UHNM, the estimate was also around three hours.

The figures are estimates for patients with less urgent conditions. The sickest patients are always seen first, however busy the department is.

Last month UHNM declared a critical incident at Royal Stoke and County Hospital on 15 September because of "exceptional pressure", standing it down on 17 September. At the time the trust said: "Emergency departments should be used for serious or life-threatening conditions only."

If you need help today

Call 999 for life-threatening emergencies only.

For anything else, use NHS 111 online or call 111. It's free and available 24 hours a day.

Pharmacies can treat many minor illnesses, and your GP surgery is another option.

Haywood Walk-in Centre, at Haywood Hospital in Burslem, is listed as open 7am to 9.30pm every day.

Leek Minor Injuries Unit is listed as open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

The free WaitLess app from the NHS in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent shows live waits and travel times for local urgent care sites.

Check opening times before you travel.