Hospital's A&E asks for life-threatening cases only

Patients have been told they should visit a Devon hospital's A&E department only if they have a life-threatening injury or illness.

North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple is "under extreme pressure", its NHS trust explained in a Facebook post on Sunday.

The post, by the Royal Devon University Healthcare trust, advised patients to call 111 or visit its website before heading to the hospital if they were unsure how serious their condition was.

The trust wrote: "Please be kind to our staff – we're doing everything we possibly can." The BBC has contacted the trust for comment.

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