An urgent plea has been issued to Congleton residents, as accident and emergency admissions remain high.

As GP's have hour-long phone call queues, making booking minor health appointments a nightmare. Local A&E departments are also struggling with capacity.

Despite not having an accident and emergency department, the people of Congleton should take interest as the service providers East Cheshire NHS Trust who run Congleton War Memorial Hospital, also run our nearest A&E departments.

East Cheshire NHS Trust, which represents our town's hospital, and two others, have had consistently high figures for the past six months.

In a tweet, posted to social media, the Trust gave an urgent plea which read as follows:

"Our A&E department is extremely busy at the moment. Please only attend if you have a major life-threatening illness or serious injury."

"If you need medical help but it's not an emergency contact #NHS111 first."

They also tweeted warning emojis, to hint at the severity of the pressures high A&E numbers are putting on our NHS.

According to data from NHS England, recent A&E attendances for Type 1 Major A&E Departments across East Cheshire NHS Trust are as follows:

April 2021 - 4,009

May 2021 - 4,286

June 2021 - 4,480

July 2021 - 4,655

August 2021 - 4,281

September 2021 - 4,434

While figures have gone down by 200 from July's peak, when another plea was made to the public, cases are still high enough for another reminder to be issued.

Congleton Nub News have submitted a Freedom of Information request for more detailed information.

As well as Congleton's hospital on Canal Road, East Cheshire NHS Trust also includes Macclesfield District General Hospital, along with Knutsford and District Community Hospital.

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