HOSPITAL bosses are urging people to stay away from A&E departments unless it is a genuine emergency.

Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust says its hospitals in Worthing and Chichester are very busy following the Christmas and bank holiday weekend.

Chief operating officer Pete Landstrom asked people to only use A&E if they were seriously unwell or critically injured.

He said: "If you are not an emergency it is likely you will have to wait a long time. If you are uncertain about how to access the best care for you please call NHS 111, your GP or visit a pharmacy.

“Our highly skilled emergency teams are prioritising a large number of very sick patients at the moment and to assist them we have taken the decision to postpone some planned procedures over the next two days.

“We would like to take this opportunity to apologise to those patients affected and thank them for their understanding. "We would also to like thank families, carers and our health and social partners who are helping patients who no longer require a hospital bed back into the community in a safe and timely way.”