Hospital bosses have apologised to emergency patients for longer waits than normal.

Patients are waiting ‘too long’ for treatment at the emergency department in Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, either in waiting areas or in queued up ambulances.

To help alleviate demand for emergency care, hospital managers are asking patients to consider other ways of being treated which might be more appropriate and quicker.

A hospital spokesman said: "This week we have seen sustained high rates of attendance to our emergency department with high levels of acuity (severity). We acknowledge that patients have experienced long waiting times in ambulances and in our emergency department, and we apologise for these waits. "Our colleagues prioritise patients by clinical need and are working hard to get patients to the right place at the right time. We have recently seen a consecutive improvement in the emergency department's four-hour performance, despite sustained demand for urgent and emergency care.

"We ask patients to continue to choose the most appropriate service where possible, but want to reassure them that our emergency department is there for patients suffering from life-threatening or emergency conditions."

Alternatives to hospital emergency departments include urgent treatment centres (or the minor injury units at Launceston or Tavistock hospitals) for sprains and strains, suspected broken bones, injuries, cuts and bruises, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea, skin infections and rashes, high temperatures in children and adults or mental health concerns.

Or NHS 111 online can help if urgent medical help is needed. Other less urgent conditions can be treated with the help of a pharmacist.

Further advice is on the hospital website: https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/stay-well/