A SHOCK report which probed the situation at Barnsley Hospital’s crowded accident and emergency department has revealed a quarter of the town’s overall population came through its doors over a 12-month period.
Hospital bosses logged 62,650 arrivals in 2024/25, which represents a rise of 2,591 people when compared with five years ago.
According to the report, which was discussed by hospital board members earlier this month, staff rotas are being altered to ensure more medics are available to be seen doing ‘pressured’ parts of the day.
The NHS ahad its ‘busiest-ever’ November, with winter-related conditions being blamed for surging demand from patients.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director, said: “The NHS is busier than ever before, with another record month for A and E and ambulance services before we even start to see a further spike of pressure caused by colder weather and the spread of winter viruses.
“It is vital that people help us out by only going to A and E or calling 999 in a life-threatening emergency, using 111 for other conditions, and getting their Covid, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccinations if eligible.
“While we continue to treat record numbers and deal with record demand, it is clear that there is still much further to go to return performance to the levels patients should expect.
“We will continue to work with government to address the needs of patients.”
The publication of the 60,000-plus figure - which is about a quarter of Barnsley’s 240,000 current population - comes after the A and E was featured on Channel Five’s fly-on-the-wall series, Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts.
It showed how busy the hospital was, with 90 patients waiting to be seen during filming on one evening, with nurses shown desperately trying to get people seen and asking other wards if beds could be spared.
Hospital bosses are now asking people to use its emergency services ‘appropriately’ over the Christmas period.
Lorraine Burnett, chief operating officer at Barnsley Hospital, added: “Like the NHS across the country, our emergency department is really busy so we’re asking patients and their families to help us.
“Please consider other sources of help and advice such as NHS 111 and community pharmacies for anything that isn’t life-threatening or an emergency, such as colds, ear aches and sore throats.
“As is often the case in winter, this is not an easy time for our teams across the organisation and we thank them for their continued hard work and professionalism.”
