Aneurin Bevan University Health Board is urging people to stay away from its emergency departments unless they have a life-threatening illness or a serious injury, as hospitals come under exceptional pressure.
Rising pressure across hospitals
The health board, which covers Newport, Caerphilly, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Monmouthshire, said it is seeing increased strain across its hospitals. This follows a rise in emergency attendances involving very sick patients, along with a high number of patients waiting to be discharged.
Patients who attend emergency departments with non-life-threatening conditions should expect long waits, the health board warned. Staff will prioritise "the sickest patients first" for those arriving at the emergency department who are not in a life-threatening condition.
Alternative NHS services urged
The health board is encouraging people to consider other NHS services instead, such as local pharmacies, GPs or the NHS 111 service. It stressed that its services remain open but appealed to the public to help ease the pressure on hospitals.
It also asked people to be kind to NHS staff, who it said are working extremely hard to provide safe care during the challenging period.
Hospitals affected
The health board's main hospital is the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, which treats the most seriously ill patients and those with significant injuries. It has a 24-hour emergency department.
Other hospitals operated by the health board include the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, Nevill Hall in Abergavenny, Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr in Ystrad Mynach, and Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan in Ebbw Vale.
