Walsall Manor Hospital’s Emergency Department is currently extremely busy prompting a plea to people to make sure they use the most appropriate healthcare service for their needs.

The department needs to be kept free for those with life-threatening or serious conditions and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust staff are working with partners to avoid people being unnecessarily admitted and to help patients to be discharged as promptly as possible.

People should get expert health advice by telephoning NHS 111 speaking to their local pharmacist, or contacting their own GP practice.

Walsall Healthcare has a Rapid Response Service that deals with referrals for patients who have conditions such as a Urinary Tract Infection, chest infection, dehydration and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The team will respond within two hours and set up multi-disciplinary care as appropriate, avoiding a hospital visit.  This service can be accessed via a GP (in or out of hours), the Ambulance Service or NHS 111.

And Walsall has two urgent care centres, run by Primecare, for people with non-life-threatening illnesses. The urgent care centre at Saddlers Shopping Centre, Bridgeman Street, is open 8am-8pm every day and the urgent care centre at the Manor Hospital is open from 7am-midnight every day.