A WIRRAL NHS trust said it is seeing increases in ambulances coming into its hospitals that nowhere else has seen.

Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust told Wirral councillors it is trying to understand what is causing a 20% increase in patients turning up at A&E.

The NHS trust, which manages both Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge Hospitals in Wirral, recently declared an internal critical incident, otherwise referred to a business continuity incident. This was due to “the ongoing unprecedented demand” at Arrowe Park’s emergency department which was “more than we have experienced in any winter period.

Steps were reportedly taken to address issues in the hospital but concerns continue to be raised by councillors about the situation in the NHS locally as well as reported eight hour waits for ambulances. There have also been calls for more government funding to address the pressures being experienced locally.

The trust appeared before councillors at an October 15 Wirral Council adult health and social care meeting to present a report giving an overview of the quality of care provided by Wirral University Teaching Hospitals over the last year. This details progress made including transferring patients out of hospital as well as issues around staff getting vaccinations as well as managing a higher occurrence of clostridium difficile infections which can cause diarrhoea.

Cllr Mike Sullivan questioned whether the trust was prepared for winter “with all the pressures that the hospitals are under.” Dr Nikki Stevenson, executive medical director at the trust, said the trust was drawing up plans to create capacity, adding: “The demands on the NHS this year have been winter all year round but this year we are all experiencing it. We have an increase in respiratory viruses, it’s getting colder. We know to anticipate that.”

She said the trust was taking people into the hospital so that ambulance crews could go back out and respond to calls, adding: “It’s really scary if you’re at home and you phone for an ambulance and it doesn’t come.” She admitted this did lead to corridor care but argued leaving patients waiting in ambulances was unacceptable.

The trust employs over 6,000 staff and currently has a capacity of around 800 beds. Dr Stevenson said the beds were currently full, adding: “There’s no two ways about it. It’s a challenge.”

She also responded to a public question at the beginning of the meeting to confirm Wirral University Teaching Hospitals was not planning to merge with fellow NHS body, Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust. However the two organisations plan to work more closely in the future to improve healthcare before people end up in hospital.

Cllr Craig Walsh-McDonald also raised concerns about ambulance waits based on the experience of a family member working for the North West Ambulance Service. He said he had been told “over the last few weeks, there have been occasions where paramedics have needed to walk out of the hospital so they can prioritise that care in the community.”

He said a shortage of trolleys on occasions preventing paramedics from sharing patients and asked how frequently walk outs were happening. He said it was “a growing concern” because “there’s no paramedics in the community because they’re all just on the corridor.”

In response, Dr Stevenson said the trust took patients into the hospital so paramedics could be released and patients got better care as nursing staff could look after them in the corridor. She said the trust worked closely with the ambulance service when it came to handing over care for any patient.

She said visits had been made by NHS England to look at the emergency department because the Wirral had seen a 20% increase in ambulances transporting people to hospital, adding; “No other hospital has seen that so there’s something that’s going on there so we’re just trying to understand what it is.”

Dr Stevenson said instances of ambulance walk outs were rare but the hospital was facing a challenge, adding there were “many businesses who can run on 100% capacity and then cope with a 20% increase. That’s what we’re trying to work through but this week has been much better.”