THERE is an “unrelenting” demand on emergency services at Bradford’s main hospital as fears mount over a difficult winter ahead.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which includes Bradford Royal Infirmary, says it is doing everything it can to free up capacity.

Usual winter pressures are expected to hit even harder this year, as the NHS faces a double threat from flu and Covid-19.

Saj Azeb, chief operating officer at Bradford Teaching Hospitals, spoke to the Telegraph & Argus about the months to come.

He said: “Locally our Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership has robust plans in place to deal with winter pressures.

“We do however recognise we are experiencing significant demand across all our health and care services.

“We would like to apologise to anyone experiencing a delay while waiting for care. We would like to encourage people to choose the right service to meet your health need so that we can ensure the right professional sees you as quickly as possible.”

He added: “The winter period always puts a huge demand on the NHS and this is the first winter where we’re expecting to see pressures from both Covid-19 and flu. 

“We’re doing everything we possibly can to free up capacity so we can ensure the most seriously ill patients get the care they need. 

“We know people recover faster in their own environment.  We’re working with our partners to help people stay well at home and to ensure that after their acute illness, where required our patients can be supported at home by our health and social care.

“Demand though on our emergency services is unrelenting after an exceptionally busy summer in our Emergency Department (ED). We are seeing more patients in our ED than we did before the pandemic and we’re anticipating this could rise further during the winter period across our hospitals. 

“This may mean people experience a delay before they are seen. We ask that you please continue to be kind to our colleagues and to each other during these challenging times. “

He urged people to think about the sort of help they need – whether they need to go to the hospital or whether to call NHS 111 first.

Dr Louise Clarke, a GP and Director of Healthy Communities for the Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership, added: “In addition we’re now offering more appointments in our GP practices than we did in the same period before the pandemic – this means we are now offering an additional 60,000 appointments compared to June 2019.”