YOU will have seen media reports about the pressures that A&E Departments have been facing in recent weeks.

The impact of the festive period on the NHS is never a surprise and some commentators feel we should be able to plan better.

The peak in bed occupancy at this time of year comes from several conspiring factors; increased attendances, delays in discharge, sicker patients requiring longer stays and bed closures due to infectious illnesses to name a few.

So while we know that the tsunami is coming, should we build an NHS which has the capacity to cope with the busiest days?

Even if we could get the staff, the cost to the public purse would be significant – demand was up by around 20 per cent in some sites, gross that up for the whole NHS and it would cost a further £20b – more than our annual spend on education.

But the reality is that many people could use the NHS differently and we could also help to reduce demand by looking after ourselves better.

We could look out for elderly relatives and neighbours by checking that they have food, are warm and taking their vital medicines.

It’s often a combination of these factors together with loneliness which leads to deterioration and admission.

It’s always very noticeable on Christmas Day that we have many empty beds. It is true that our NHS teams are very focussed on getting people home for Christmas, but relatives and carers are also.

The number of attendances also falls significantly because we only get true accidents and emergencies.

So, my final sentence has to focus on our fantastic NHS staff who work miracles every day to keep us safe and well and to live the values of the Trust and the NHS despite the pressure.