Hospital bosses are warning the public to avoid the Royal Oldham Hospital's emergency department unless urgent and life-threatening.
The hospital has today declared a critical incident after almost a week of IT failures across four Greater Manchester hospitals which have caused 'severe delays' to patient care, according to staff.
The Royal Oldham's A&E department is one of the worst affected units which have been hit by a slew of IT system problems since Wednesday, trust chiefs have confirmed to the Manchester Evening News.
The announcement comes amid waits of '11 hours' being reported by patients, while sources have warned that the pressure at the hospital may not relent for at least another '24 to 48 hours'.
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