Patients were turned away from Watford General Hospital this week as pressure on the A&E department reached crisis point.

Lack of beds and over-stretched services forced hospital staff to suspend services for adults with minor injuries or illnesses on Tuesday and Wednesday.

People faced five-hour waits for appointments on Monday, and paramedics were forced to wait alongside patients on trolleys.

The West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust also struggled to free up beds due to delays in transferring patients to other organisations.

More than 200 people were rushed to hospital with serious injuries or illnesses on Tuesday.

Doctors assessed people when they arrived, and patients were told to visit either Hemel Hempstead Hospital or St Albans City Hospital if their condition was not deemed to be serious.

Mark and Sharon Griggs, of Harrow Way, Carpenders Park, visited Watford General Hospital this week after Mrs Griggs fell over.

They made the decision to go to A&E after her ankle began swelling up.

Mark said: “It was chaotic. There were people everywhere. Ambulances were stacked up. It was like there had been a major incident.

“The receptionist told us there would be a five-hour wait and there had been a similar waiting time for most of the afternoon. They asked us to come back Tuesday morning or go to Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood, which we did.”

Mick Swift, whose mother was rushed to the hospital on Monday night after suffering from a stroke, praised the care she received.

He said: “We arrived to see six to eight trolleys queuing up outside the department all occupied by patients.

“Despite being busier than I have ever seen it, we were promptly seen, assessed and treated as a priority.

“The staff we met that evening were outstanding and a credit to the hospital and the NHS.

“Although the staff were clearly under extreme pressure this did not show in their treatment of us.”

Watford General Hospital and the Lister Hospital in Stevenage are the only full time accident and emergency departments in Hertfordshire.

Long waits at A&E was one of the main reasons West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust was rated as inadequate by the Care Quality Commission last year.

Kelly White, spokesman for the trust, said: “Many patients were treated for breathing difficulties.

“To assist with the pressures, we provided transport to take patients to Hemel Hempstead Hospital and St Albans City Hospital and Mount Vernon Hospital.

“An extra GP worked directly within our accident and emergency department alongside a respiratory consultant and an acute physician.

“We are working with all our partners in health and social care to find better ways to streamline how patients are cared for and the pathways they follow between organisations.”