Hospital bosses are urging people to stay away from accident and emergency departments unless they need urgent help.

The East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust which runs the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in Canterbury, the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and the QEQM Hospital in Margate says it is caring for large numbers of seriously-ill people.

The colder weather has seen more elderly patients and people with lung problems admitted to hospital.

Jane Ely, director of operations at the trust, said: “This is the busiest time of the year for the NHS, resulting in extra pressure on hospital accident and emergency departments as more patients seek help for heart, stroke and breathing problems.

"There are also more injuries from falls, while the spread of viruses such as norovirus can lead to some of our wards being closed.

“If people have had a serious accident or consider their condition to be life-threatening, then accident and emergency may well be the right place to go and we would encourage them to do that.

“But we still see thousands of people every year attending our accident and emergency departments with symptoms that could be treated at home, by a GP or pharmacist or at a minor injuries unit.

“We are asking you if it’s not urgent to stay away from A&E and keep it free for those who really need the specialist care it provides."

It is estimated that between 15 and 25 per cent of people attending accident and emergency could be treated by another NHS service.

Dr Mark Jones from the Canterbury and coastal clinical commissioning group said: “Winter is the busiest time of the year for the NHS, with cold weather leading to extra pressure on hospital accident and emergency departments as more patients seek help for heart, stroke and breathing problems.

"There are also more injuries from falls, while the spread of viruses such as norovirus can lead to wards being closed.

"If people have had a serious accident or consider their condition to be life-threatening, then A&E may well be the right place to go and we would encourage them to do that.

"But I would urge people with illnesses and injuries that can be treated at home, by a GP or pharmacist or at a minor injuries unit, to stay away from A&E and keep it free for those who really need the specialist care it provides."

The trust treated almost 200,000 people in accident and emergency in 2013/2014.

It says if you have a health problem and are not sure what to do or who to contact, use the Health Help Now web app which lists services and gives health advice and information for east Kent. Click here.

You can also call NHS 111.