AN Essex hospital is at crisis point today after admitting it has no more room for patients.

James Hore

AN Essex hospital is at crisis point today after admitting it is at full capacity.

Bosses at Chelmsford's Broomfield Hospital have urged would-be patients only to attend the A&E department if they are “seriously ill or need emergency treatment” due to the “severe pressure for beds”.

A spokesman confirmed: “The hospital is currently extremely busy due to the high number of patients it is treating and is full to capacity.”

And Philippa Lowe, the deputy chief executive for Mid Essex Hospitals, said the exact reason for the spike in patient numbers was not known at this stage.

She said: “We are currently experiencing a very high demand for our services so we are advising people with minor ailments to visit their GP or get advice from NHS direct, wherever possible, rather than visiting our A&E Department.

“We are coping with our emergency patients, but if people attend as a non emergency they are jeopardising the care we can give to the people who really need it.

“We can't identify any specific reason for us being so busy, but we are treating a high number of very sick patients.”