AS patient number pressure reaches “crunch point,” hospital trusts in the region are urging people to only attend Accident and Emergency departments for serious illness and injuries.

Today, the Nuffield Trust revealed a third of the 150 English hospital trusts needed urgent action to cope with increased patient numbers last month.

And seven of the 50 trusts reported that pressure had escalated to a level where the health and social care system was unable to deliver comprehensive care.

None of the 50 trusts which issued alerts under the new Operational Pressures Escalation Level (OPEL) system were located in the North-East.

But as the busy winter period progresses, all hospitals are likely to experience mounting pressure, with Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, warning the situation could reach crunch point in the next two weeks.

Speaking on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme he said: “Anecdotally what you are hearing from chief executives of trusts is that they are experiencing very, very high levels of pressure in their A&E departments.

“People feel that they can’t get to see their GP. The population is getting older and sicker, but I don’t think that’s the entire reason behind it.

“The other big pressure is the ability to discharge patients. If you can’t get patients out of the back of the hospital, home, then obviously, the whole system begins to seize up.

“As we know there are major problems in social care.”

A spokesperson for the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts asked the public to assist by choosing the best service for their needs.This includes pharmacies, a GP or NHS 111, which may refer to an out of hours GP service if appropriate.

“Today, The James Cook University Hospital has been at OPEL level 2 and The Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, at OPEL level 1," she said.

"OPEL ratings can change several times during the course of a day and therefore only provide a snapshot for a very short period of time.

“Every year, we develop robust plans to deal with the influx of patients who may spend longer in hospital than usual at this time of year, when illnesses related to colder weather take hold. We continuously prioritise the most seriously ill and injured patients first.

"We also work closely with local authority organisations and social care partners to ensure patients can be discharged in a safe and timely manner following their stay in hospital."

A North Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “Winter is always a busy time and we work with commissioners, GPs and with social care colleagues to continue to provide a safe service for patients and to manage pressure.

"We are reminding people that accident and emergency is for serious illnesses and injuries. People should have a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home and if anyone has a minor illness, make an appointment to see your GP, visit a walk-in centre or talk to your local pharmacist.

“People should take preventative action and act early on symptoms, for example, having the flu vaccination and keeping warm.”