Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary being 'stretched beyond capacity' after bank holiday weekend

Staff at the Infirmary are urging patients to consider whether their condition is an emergency before attending A&E.

Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary is 'operating at full occupancy' as serious pressures continue to plague the health and social care system.

With a high level of activity coming after a four-day public holiday, staff are stretched across a wide range of services.

Chief Officer for Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership Julie White: “These are the sort of extremes we might expect to be seeing in the middle of winter, not in the springtime, which is very concerning.

“This week, our Emergency Department at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary is being stretched beyond capacity. The hospital has put in place escalation plans to cope with the excessive pressures.

“Alongside the significant increase in people needing immediate help, staff are also managing sizeable numbers of patients who are medically fit to return home or to a homely setting – but who are unable to leave hospital for reasons such as shortages of care or issues around guardianship."

Pressures across health and social care had eased slightly from a peak of demand at the start of the year which was worse than anything experienced during the COVID pandemic.

Hospital staff are encouraging anyone who needs help to come forward to seek it but make sure that they are doing so in the appropriate way.

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