Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is asking people to think first before they visit the accident and emergency this winter.

As the weather gets colder, more people are coming to hospital and A&E attendance is about 20 per cent higher than normal averages, putting pressure on services.

In the past year, many people who attended the department could have been treated more appropriately elsewhere.

Between June 2011 and May 2012 more than a fifth of patients who attended A&E did not require treatment and were sent home with self-care advice, suggesting they had a relatively minor illness or complaint.

David Fluck, medical director, said: “We are really encouraging people to think if they could use other local services instead and the A&E department should only be used when people have suffered trauma, had an accident or have developed a serious illness.

“Overall, we believe around 18 per cent of our patients who come to A&E could be treated more appropriately by their GP surgery, local walk-in centre, pharmacy or NHS Direct.”

People are also asked to help hospitals to prevent the introduction and spread of norovirus, also known as the winter vomiting bug.

Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals do not currently have norovirus and would like to keep their wards free of it.

Visitors and members of staff with diarrhoea and vomiting are asked to stay away from the hospital for 48 hours after their symptoms have stopped.