HEREFORD hospital ran out of beds on one day as it continues to struggle to cope with winter pressures.

The news comes after the A&E department posted the worst December waiting figures since records began five years ago.

Now the latest weekly figures from the NHS show how the pressure has remained unrelenting in January. Up until now the hospital has always had a few available beds this winter, even on the busiest days.

But during the week January 13 to 19 Wye Valley Trust reported being at 100 per cent of capacity on one day and 99.2 per cent on another.

The hospital stress no one was turned away on the day they were 'technically' full and they managed the situation.

For the whole week it was running at an average of 97.5 per cent full, despite creating 21 extra beds to try to cope with growing demand. Guidelines say bed capacity should not go above 85 per cent to ensure patient safety. At Hereford the lowest it got was 92 per cent. At that level experts say you can expect A&E performance to deteriorate.

A spokesman said: "We have previously acknowledged the shortage of beds at Hereford County Hospital – this inevitably puts pressure on our services when demand rises. The safety of patients is our priority."

The scale of the pressure on the hospital is also revealed by waiting time figures at A&E.

In the latest week 67 patients a day were arriving by ambulance on average, and of those 13 had to wait more than 30 minutes in the ambulance and nearly two had to wait an hour or more.

About four in 10 beds at the hospital is occupied by someone who has been there a week or longer. One in ten have been there three weeks or longer.

Health bosses have repeated calls for people to stay away from A&E unless they are seriously ill.

A trust spokesperson said: "We are urging the public to use alternative NHS services where appropriate for non-life threatening illness or injuries." The trust suggest a GP, pharmacist or the NHS 111 helpline.

In December 1,822 patients – around one in three – waited more than four hours to be treated in A&E. Four waited longer than 12 hours.

At 67 per cent of patients seen within four hours Wye Valley NHS Trust was well short of the England average, which was just short of 80 per cent. The target is 95 per cent.

"We have seen a significant increase in numbers requiring emergency care. Staff are working hard to ensure patients are treated as quickly as possible."

Last month saw a 10 per cent rise in patients brought to A&E by ambulance compared with the previous December. An extra 444 seriously ill patients per month are arriving. A £23.6m investment in replacing the old 'hut wards' this year will create 18 extra beds.