WITH pressure mounting on NHS services figures from Somerset Partnership show Burnham's War Memorial Hospital is no different.

In the last year demand for Burnham-on-Sea minor injuries unit has increased from 5900 people to 6058 using the unit between January 1 and December 31 2016.

Paul Courtney, NHS Communications Officer quashed rumours Somerset NHS services are in crisis.

"On the issue of whether local hospitals are ‘in crisis’ this winter, I can confirm that they are experiencing very high demand but I would not describe them as being ‘in crisis’ here in Somerset.

"Winter comes every year and the local authority and NHS hospitals, community services, ambulance services, NHS 111 / GP Urgent out of hours service and the Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group’s family doctors (GP's) spend many months, well before winter, preparing for the extra anticipated demand.

"It is true when you hear on national news that many more people are taking themselves to district hospital accident and emergency for treatment.

"Surveys have shown that at least a third of people take themselves to hospital Accident and Emergency Departments when they don’t need to be there and could have had their illness, minor injury or ailment treated more quickly and conveniently by visiting their pharmacist, calling NHS 111, visiting their local GP Practice or going to a Minor Injury Unit.

"The whole of Somerset’s health and social care system works in close collaboration to ensure that patients come into the system and leave well and healthier.

"The different levels of demand upon the NHS are referred to by a scale which goes from 1 (low) to 4 (high) called the Operational Pressures Escalation Levels (OPEL.)

"For the last few weeks the Somerset health and social care system has been on OPEL Level 3.

"This means it is experiencing major pressures and working to de-escalate the system back to OPEL Level One and patients are flowing through the system with little or not delays."

Burnham-on-Sea MIU is just one of seven Somerset MIU's which has been struggling with new winter demands.

MP James Heappey said he is aware demand in Somerset A&E units has doubled and there has been a severe shortage of beds with Weston General Hospital being at one hundred percent capacity this year.

"To claim all is perfect now is not true but to claim there is a crisis is not true either."

""I know that the A and E staff had to work extraordinarily hard to meet that demand and I know too from some constituents who have contacted me that some had not been seen in the time they might expect.  ""However, I have heard from some others who had visited A and E expecting bedlam only to be seen in well under four hours."

Somerset Partnership has said frail elderly people and people living at home with multiple chronic health problems are the groups causing the increased pressure for Somerset NHS emergency services.

A spokesman for Somerset Partnership said although Burnham MIU is feeling the pressures coming from extra demand they are finding ways to ensure the service runs smoothly.

"The opening hours for Burnham MIU are extending their hours to accommodate for extra demand.

"Somerset Partnership runs seven MIUs across the county for patients whose injury or illness is not life threatening.

"We offer a 'sit and wait' service and the average waiting time is about 20 minutes though patients can wait up to two hours at busy times.

"Even so, it is a shorter wait than A&E and a better place to get minor problems sorted.

"If people become ill overnight or at weekends they should call 111 to access the Somerset Out of Hours Urgent Care Service."

For more information about services in your area visit sompar.nhs.uk.