Lincoln County Hospital. Photo: Steve Smailes for Lincolnshire Reporter
Health bosses said they expect to see high demand at A&Es across the county over the winter period.
Officials at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and neighbouring health authorities urged patients to practise self care and only go to A&E if it is an emergency.
Simon Evans, director of operations at the trust, said the trust and its partners have devised a winter plan in an effort to cope.
Mr Evans said the trust expects to see that demand “sustained” over the festive months.
Simon Evans, director of operations at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust. Picture: Calvin Robinson.
“We have seen a sustained increase since November,” he said.
“We are expecting that to continue and our plans, which are based on previous years, expect to have that sustained pressure over the remainder of this year.
“We aren’t expecting to get significantly more in terms of the norovirus, we have had a significant amount of that already, but we are expecting flu to increase.”
He added that the trust was prepared for the demand in terms of staff.
Ruth Cumbers, who leads urgent and emergency care across Lincolnshire NHS, said the increase in demand at A&E was “unprecedented” but added that measures were in place for winter.
Boston Pilgrim Hospital. Picture: Steve Smailes
Officials have urged patients who feel unwell to check online services, such as NHS 111, as a first point of call.
The service will ask questions on symptoms and be able to direct people to the right service.
Mr Evans said NHS 111 will help solve the “majority” of cases, but will also be able to signpost people to A&E if they need it.
“It will always be able to catch patients who are acutely unwell,” he said.
“It will be able to direct them to the most appropriate place. At that point it could be conversations with NHS 111 or with a practitioner as part of the Lincolnshire clinical assessment service.
“For most people that will be able to solve what is going on with them over winter.”
Meanwhile, urgent treatment centres will also be available in Louth, Skegness, Lincoln and Boston to treat people who need urgent care, but not necessarily life threatening.
The trust has seen high demand over recent months at A&Es, with 15,139 patients attending emergency departments across the county in October alone.
ULHT has not met its waiting time targets for A&E for half a decade.
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The 32-year-old man and 30-year-old woman arrested in the murder probe of an 11-year-old boy in Lincoln have both been released on police bail, without any charges.
The man was arrested on suspicion of murder and the woman on suspicion of manslaughter after an incident at a house on Geneva Street on St Giles in Lincoln.
Police were called to the house at 10pm on Friday night, January 22.
The 11-year-old boy was found unwell at the scene and was taken to hospital for treatment.
He was pronounced dead a short time later.
At the time Lincolnshire Police said the death was unexplained and it was treated as murder.
The man and the woman arrested at the weekend were released on police bail on Monday evening.
Lincolnshire Police said in a statement on Monday night:
“Once again, we’d like to remind people that this is an active investigation and that an 11-year-old boy has sadly lost his life.
“Speculative comments are not only deeply upsetting to those involved but can potentially undermine our investigation.
“If you have any information that can help, call 101 or email [email protected] quoting incident 472 of January 22.”
Ten people from Boston have been given fines for breaching COVID-19 regulations by driving dangerously in supermarket car parks.
Officers were called after three separate reports of dangerous driving in the car parks of Lidl and Tesco in Wyberton Fen, as well as on Marsh Lane Industrial Estate in Boston.
All three incidents took place and were reported to police between 5pm and 6pm on Sunday, January 24, though it is unsure if they were connected at all.
When officers arrived, the drivers were seen doing donut manoeuvres and racing in the snow.
A total of 10 people were given £200 fines for breaking lockdown guidelines, but this will be reduced to £100 if paid within 14 days, due to all being first time offenders.
As well as the COVID-19 fines, two of the vehicles were also seized as a result of being uninsured, with drivers reported.
A traffic offence report was also submitted after one driver was seen to be driving not just dangerously but out of control.
Inspector Fran Harrod of Lincolnshire Police said: “We would like to thank the public for bringing these incidents of dangerous driving to our attention.
“This is not only extremely dangerous to those taking part but to others in these areas.
“While we continue to engage and explain with the public, this was a blatant breach of the restrictions which will not be tolerated.”
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