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Hospital bosses are urging people to only use A&E if they need emergency treatment and are severely ill after being inundated with hundreds of patients everyday.
Chiefs at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust (DGT) are telling the public to ring NHS 111 or go to their new urgent treatment centre (UTC) if their condition is not a serious or life threatening emergency.
The trust has warned if patients do chose to attend A&E and do not have a serious condition they will have to wait a long time to be seen.
Figures published by NHS England show roughly one in five people attending A&E at the trust in September and August were not seen until after the target waiting time of four hours.
Julie Frake-Harris, chief operating officer from DGT, which runs both Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford and Gravesham Community Hospital in Gravesend, said: “The NHS is always busy, especially during winter and it is really important that people go to the right place for help.
“We are encouraging patients to use NHS 111, either by phone or online, as this will direct them to the best service for their needs.”
According to trust figures, in September 11,146 patients were seen at Darent Valley's A&E - an average of 371 people per day. This is a 30% increase compared to the 8,537 patients seen in September last year.
Similarly in August 12,807 people were seen but only 2,957 (approximately 23%) were admitted into hospital, according to NHS England figures.
Ms Frake-Harris added: “Knowing the right place to go can really help people get the treatment they need faster, whether that’s with a local pharmacy, GP practice, an urgent treatment centre or by taking some simple self-care steps.
“There are a number of UTCs across the county, including in Dartford and Gravesham. These can treat many urgent minor injuries and illnesses without the need to visit an A&E department.
“Patients can find out if they need to visit a UTC by getting in touch with NHS 111 and, if they do, an appointment can be booked for them. NHS 111 is open 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.”
The new UTC at Gravesham Community Hospital in Bath Street, Gravesend will be used as a walk-in NHS service for people with conditions that do not need emergency treatment such as sprains, minor burns and minor illness.
The UTC will be open from 8am to 8pm everyday with the X-Ray department open Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday at 11am to 7pm.
There is also an urgent care centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup open 24 hours everyday. Other alternatives for patients are their local pharmacist, GP or their out of hours GP service.
More details on how to choose the right service are also available online at www.stopthinkchoose.co.uk
