Packed hospitals are issuing black alerts as winter pressure bites
Winter pressures have seen hospitals across the UK turn people away from A&E and others cancel operations.
Black alerts have been issued at some hospitals in the country, which means they cannot cope with the number of patients.
However, while busy, hospitals in the Black Country have not reached a tipping point - but people have been encouraged not to attend A&E centres unless it is necessary.
Bosses at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, University Hospitals of Midlands NHS Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust have confirmed they have not issued black alerts.
As the effects of winter continue to bite - and just days before a strike by thousands of junior doctors - some treatment centres across the country urged patients to only attend A&E in emergencies.
Dr Jonathan Odum, medical director at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said: "The NHS across the country faces extremely difficult challenges throughout winter and we are no exception.
"We are experiencing record levels of admissions, ambulance arrivals and experiencing delays in discharging patients which is resulting in extra pressure on available bed space for those that really need them.
"It is important that together with our partners across the health economy, we get the message across to the population we serve that they should stay away from hospital unless it is absolutely necessary.
"People should only come to hospital or dial 999 if they are really seriously ill or have a life threatening condition or injury, like choking, chest pain, blood loss, blacking out or a serious injury."
Dr Odum's message stands for all the Trusts in the region.
Essex is suffering problems, with Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust both on black alert.
Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust has been on black alert since Tuesday but this was downgraded to amber yesterday morning (FRI).
The local health system across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire has been on 'system-wide black escalation' status all week.
Extra staff have been drafted in to the minor injuries units in Clevedon and Yate and at South Bristol's Urgent Care Centre. The availability of GP out-of-hours appointments has also been increased.
Meanwhile, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said it was 'currently in a period of high demand for services' amid 'high volumes of patients through its emergency departments each day.
On Monday, a South Wales health board asked people to avoid both its A&E units because they were 'extremely busy'.
All three of Norfolk's main hospitals - the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Norfolk and Norwich, and the James Paget Hospital - have experienced black alerts this week.
