'Unprecedented demand' on wards

Non-urgent surgery has been put on-hold at the hospital

Hospital managers are facing "unprecedented demand" for beds despite the end of the recent cold snap.

Patients have been treated in ambulances in the grounds of West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen while waiting for places on the wards.

A&E Consultant Jeremy Williams said non-emergency surgery was on hold to try to ease the problem.

The Welsh NHS Confederation said there were similar issues at other Welsh hospitals and across the UK.

Mr Williams said: "The nurses and doctors in A&E are under very high pressures at the moment.

"It's very difficult to work efficiently under these circumstances.

"We attempt to provide medical and nursing care in the back of ambulances which is not easy, but we try to manage patients as best we can.

"We are doing everything we can to maximise our resources during these unusual circumstances, for example by using all beds available, putting non-urgent surgery on-hold and working closely with our partners in social care to address delayed transfers of care."

'More pressure'

He urged the public to only use emergency departments if they were certain they needed to and to otherwise contact their GPs or NHS Direct.

Mike Ponton, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said: "There is always more pressure on the NHS at this time of year, with more accidents, flu and health problems associated with the colder weather.

"We have feedback from our members and whilst they are under great pressure at the moment, as are all A&E departments across the UK, they are clear that they will be able to cope."