AS the pubs reopen today (4), Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Trust is ready to cope with any surge at its A & E and minor injury departments.

Chief executive Sarah Tedford says Hillingdon and Mount Vernon will be appropriately staffed over the weekend for all situations, including providing care within the four-hour standard.

She said: ‘Our amazing NHS staff are under intense pressure as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and are doing a fantastic job caring for seriously ill people, but they need your support more than ever before.

“We really want people to stop and think about how they use services, so that those in genuine need of an emergency ambulance or life-saving care get the help they need. 

“Every preventable call out or visit to a hospital due to alcohol slows down our response to another incident such as a stroke or a cardiac arrest.”