HEALTH bosses are urging the public to only go to A&E in an emergency as a worsening winter crisis has put Oxfordshire's hospitals on alert.

The Oxford Mail can reveal that the second highest level of warning has been in place across the county's hospitals since December 19.

Yesterday Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that on the Tuesday after Christmas, casualty units were the busiest in their history.

The alert in place for Oxfordshire signals 'severe deterioration' in A&E waiting times or a significant lack of beds.

It is also put in place when handovers from the ambulance service are 'significantly compromised', with patients waiting an hour or more in parked ambulances.

A nurse working at the John Radcliffe Hospital, who asked not to be named, said there had been a 'noticeable' build-up over the course of December.

He said: "Christmas Day was one of the most challenging shifts I have ever had. It tends to be quieter, with only the most serious cases in, but it was extremely challenging.

"Since then pretty much every shift has been difficult. It's not particularly that there are more patients, but the problem has been a lack of flow around the hospital.

"Everything that can be done has been done and the teamwork is amazing. When it comes down to the actual job the floor, everybody works extremely hard.

"But unfortunately it's a case of funding and cuts to social care over a period of time."

Patients have reported lengthy waits at A&E departments in Oxford and Banbury.

Dr. Tony Berendt, medical director at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our emergency departments have been under sustained heavy pressure since Christmas, linked to a sharp increase in flu cases, particularly in older people.

"Whilst the situation is still manageable it is important we all try to use emergency departments only for emergencies.”

The trust didn't answer all of our questions about the situation but communications manager Roy Probert said: "It is not unusual for us to be experiencing high demand for our services at this time of year. However, we are seeing a sustained increase in demand for our emergency services, therefore, we decided to remind the people in Oxfordshire to stop and consider all the options available to them before deciding to go to an emergency department."

According to NHS England figures, between December 1 and January 1 a total of 11,792 people have attended A&E at the John Radcliffe and Horton General hospitals.

This compares to 10,914 in September, 10,576 in August and 10,401 in April.

No information on beds was available for Monday, December 19, the day the alert came into effect, but on the Tuesday a total of 1,039 our of 1,129 trust beds were occupied - a total of 92 per cent, above the 85 per cent recommended by NHS Improvement for the winter period.

In recent weeks patients have taken to social media to express their concerns, with Ayshia Heritage reporting a 'very full' JR on December 16 after claiming to have waited six hours for a bed for a relative.

Jenna Morris, who attended A&E at the Horton on January 4, said she was in an ambulance for 15 to 20 minutes and then on a bed in a corridor for four hours.

She added: "You could sense the stress of everyone and many times I heard the nurse in charge say to ambulance crews how she had no beds and nowhere to send anyone."

Andrew Smith, the MP for Oxford East, said last night: "Additional pressures on A&E regularly happen in winter because the number of cold-related accidents and illnesses goes up.

"The key thing is whether hospitals have the staff and resources to cope with them, and long waits in A&E are a clear warning sign that they do not.

"The last Labour government used to put extra money into the NHS to help with this winter need, but the current government hasn’t done so.

"It is unacceptable for people to be waiting hours in A&E and for frontline NHS staff, who do such a brilliant job, to be working under such pressure. The Government must put in the resources needed and manage the situation better so patients get the service they should have a right to expect."

On Friday the Oxford Mail reported a similar warning from South Central Ambulance Service pleading with the public to use alternatives if possible after experiencing a 'massive surge in calls'.