QUEUING ambulances have stopped buses being able to reach Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

First Worcester has warned people that the 36 and 38 bus services will be unable to reach the hospital grounds.

First Worcester said they were not able to reach it because the road is blocked by ambulances.

Matthew Hopkins, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, urged people to only call 999 in an emergency.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We are working with all local NHS partners to reduce delays so crews can respond to the next incident as quickly as possible.

"All patients continue to receive clinical care until they are handed over to hospital staff.” 

Over ten ambulances were waiting at the accident and emergency department this afternoon.

A couple of ambulances were parked under the canopy while the rest were waiting on the bend leading towards the main hospital entrance.

There are currently waiting times of over four hours and 33 patients waiting at accident and emergency, according to the Worcestershire NHS Acute Hospitals NHS Trust website.

A First Worcester spokesman said: "We had the same problem a couple of weeks ago with ambulances queuing all the way around the bend.

"We aren't able to go into the site because where it narrows our buses aren't able to get past.

"We are hopeful that this is just a temporary congestion."

Mr Hopkins said: “We would urge the public to contact NHS 111, either online or by calling 111 to receive free urgent care advice before attending our A&E department, and to only use 999 in a life-threatening emergency.

“Teams across our two Emergency Departments, GP surgeries, community nursing and social care have been working incredibly hard to ensure patients receive appropriate and safe care throughout one of the most challenging periods in the history of the NHS.

“Our Emergency Departments are very busy now, with patient numbers well above what we were seeing this time two years ago.

"Caring for so many people while also making sure that we protect our patients and staff from the risk of Covid-19 infection is a significant challenge, but one that our dedicated staff are rising to.

“Please also remember you can seek help from a local Minor Injury Unit (MIU) for a variety of injuries including; wounds, sprains, strains and minor burns with much shorter waiting times.”

UPDATE AT 5PM: First Buses has now updated to say it is now able to reach the hospital.