A HOSPITAL creaking at the seams amid “unprecedented” demand needs visitors to avoid A&E unless strictly necessary.

Nick Hulme, chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said Colchester Hospital was dealing with 85 Covid-19 patients as of yesterday morning.

Hammering home the importance of keeping A&E moving, Mr Hulme said: “We can’t say it often enough around the pressure we are under.

“We need people to make the right decision about where to access healthcare.

“We can’t stress enough the importance of the current situation.

“The point is, and I’ve been saying this for 20 years, A&E doesn’t stand for ‘Anything and Everything’, it stands for Accident and Emergency.”

He said the trust recently saw 14 patients at Ipswich Hospital sit in A&E “all night” waiting for treatment.

But when eventually seen, the 14 patients were assessed as needing care from a GP over hospital treatment.

Mr Hulme said: “These are young, otherwise fit and healthy, people.

“Why would you want to spend 12 hours sitting in an A&E department?

“Their argument is that GPs aren’t available.

“Of course it’s my responsibility – I’m a health leader – but unless we put a bit of pressure elsewhere in the system we’re just going to sit here and absorb it all.

“It won’t be a real situation to other parts of the system if we’re just sitting here absorbing it, offering people not great care. It’s not great care, it’s only good enough.”

Mr Hulme said flu numbers “may have peaked”, but urged people to get their flu vaccine.

“It’s still available, go to your GP, go to your pharmacy and get your flu vaccine, get your Covid vaccine, because even if it doesn’t protect you from getting infected, it will stop you from getting seriously ill," he said.

Responding to vaccine-sceptics, he added: “For people who want to talk about vaccines, come and spend ten minutes with me in intensive care and look at what flu does to you.”