Peterborough City Hospital is asking people to avoid using the emergency department unless absolutely necessary as it is running desperately short on beds.

Some elective surgery was also being cancelled today (Wednesday) and patients advised to seek treatment from the minor injury and illness unit at The City Care Centre (open 8am-8pm), the minor injuries unit at Stamford Hospital (open 9am-5pm) or their GP or local pharmacist.

The hospital trust said it has few available beds as a result of a high number of emergency admissions as well as the number of inpatients requiring acute care.

It added that patients with ‘non-urgent’ conditions were in for a much longer wait than usual.

Angus Maitland, chief operating officer at Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have seen a heavy volume of patients requiring emergency admissions and it is clear these patients are going to require some time in hospital to get better. As a consequence we are struggling to make beds available.

“We are working effectively with our health partner agencies across the area to help discharge those patients who are fit enough to leave hospital and perhaps be cared for in a community setting. However this is taking some time.”

Clinically urgent and cancer surgeries were still taking place.

Mr Maitland added: “I would like to sincerely apologise to those patients who have had routine surgery cancelled, please be assured that the Trust will do our utmost to ensure these operations are rescheduled as soon as possible.”