HOSPITAL chiefs today appealed to patients: "Don't come to us unless it's an emergency."

The accident and emergency department at Brighton's Royal Sussex County Hospital is about to be halved in size. The move, which comes into force from April 24, is due to building work to expand the unit. When complete it will have five resuscitation bays, 15 beds for major injuries and ten for minor injuries. There will be four cubicles for children, an eight-bed transit ward for patients who need to be admitted to hospital and an eight-bed observation ward. Hospital chiefs say the new-look unit has been designed to cope with an anticipated rise in patients wanting emergency treatment. But for now, the waiting area is to be dramatically reduced and there will be no seating dedicated to the WRVS refreshment area. Medical and nursing staff are asking people to use the service in vital cases only. Geoff Bryant, consultant manager for the department, said: "This is the most difficult time for all of us. "We are asking patients to go to their GP unless they really need accident and emergency services." The revamp is part of an ongoing £64 million redevelopment at the hospital. Doctors suggest that people with ailments that could wait for a doctor's appointment, like a sprain or flu, should not turn up at the emergency department. Urgent cases will always be seen at the unit, but staff say that as space is reduced adult patients should take just one friend or relative.

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