THE under-pressure A&E department in Bury has appealed to patients to call NHS 111 and not rush to the hospital.

Fairfield General Hospital was experiencing high numbers of patients being admitted to A&E.

In response, NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) appealed for residents to use the NHS 111 telephone line for fast medical treatment.

They urged patients to call the 111 number for clinical advice, assessment and to be directed to the most appropriate services.

This week the chief medical officer issued further guidance about the problems the Rochdale Old Road hospital was facing.

He urged those with cold and flu like symptoms to dial 111 and warned that non-urgent operations and outpatient procedures could be postponed.

Dr Chris Brookes, group chief medical officer for the northern care alliance NHS Group, Salford Royal and Pennine Acute Hospitals, said: "Like many hospitals across the region and the country our emergency and urgent care services are extremely busy and currently under significant pressure with increased demand on services and many patients needing to be admitted.

"To help our staff who are working very hard in our A&E departments, I would urge the public to think carefully about which is the correct service to use for their condition. A&E is open and available to treat the sickest of patients and emergency cases, but patients with cold and flu like symptoms should seek advice in the community from your local pharmacist or by calling NHS 111 helpline for advice.

"Our A&E doctors will be prioritising and treating those patients who require emergency and urgent care with critical and life-threatening conditions such as major trauma and fractures, accidents, head injuries, heart attacks, stroke, and those who need urgent abdominal and orthopaedic surgery.

"We continue to work with our health and social care partners across our localities including colleagues in primary care, community and social care services to help the flow of patients in and out of our hospitals including those who can safely be safely discharged to the community or back to their home.

"We are working hard to minimise any disruption to planned non-urgent operations and outpatient appointments. If we do decide to delay and reschedule any non-urgent operations such as hip or knee replacements, we will inform our patients as soon as possible, and alternative appointments will be booked in due course. Patients should assume their appointment is going ahead unless they hear otherwise.

"I would like to reassure the public that we have robust functioning winter plans in place for all our hospitals in Salford, Oldham, North Manchester, Bury and Rochdale, and that patient safety is our priority. I would also like to thank our hard working staff for going above and beyond the call of duty in many instances to keep our patients safe and well this winter."