Beds full as Borders General Hospital reaches maximum capacity

BTV
It comes at one of the busiest times during the year for the health and social care system. Credit: BTV

The Borders General hospital is at maximum capacity with hospital beds full, as the site faces extreme pressures.

The NHS said the hospital's Emergency Department is exceptionally busy, with a number of people requiring admission.

It comes at one of the busiest times during the year for the health and social care system.

It is being advised that people check the NHS Inform website or ring NHS 24 on 111 before attending the Emergency Department.

The services are there to help signpost people to the right place to get the advice or care that is needed.

This includes online self-help guides for a range of common illnesses. Those who ring the NHS' 111 line may be given an appointment time if they do need to visit hospital, which can minimise the time needed to be spent in the department, and reduces pressure on staff.

Community Pharmacists are also said to be able to provide expert advice and treatment for common ailments, in addition to being able to help with medications and emergency prescriptions.

Those facing emergency and life-threatening situations should still call 999.

The Borders General Hospital has asked those with family and loved ones ready to be discharged to help speed the process up, by collecting them quickly and supporting the move to their next place of care.

Bosses at the Melrose site said that by doing this, the flow of patients through the hospital can continue moving and it can offer care to the maximum amount of people who need it.

Lynne Huckerby, Interim Director of Acute Services at NHS Borders, said: “We are currently facing extreme pressures across the health and social care system, particularly at Borders General Hospital.

"This is a challenging situation, and we are very grateful to our staff who are working tirelessly to ensure that we can continue to provide care and treatment to those who need us most."

Ms Huckerby added: “We need your help to do this. Please make sure you are attending the right place to get the care that you need, and if you have loved ones who are ready to be discharged, please collect them as soon as you possibly can to help us maintain a steady flow of patients through the hospital.”

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