A CRUTCH shortage at Furness General Hospital is causing chaos in the Emergency Department.

Staff are appealing for past patients to return their hospital crutches following a surge in admissions over the bad weather period.

Dr Paul Grout, Clinical Director at the trust that runs Morecambe Bay hospitals, said: “Due to the unpredictable weather conditions we have been experiencing over the past few months, we have seen an increase in the number of people turning up with injuries that require crutches.

“What many people don’t know is that once patients are better and no longer need crutches, they should return them to the Emergency Department so that they can be used to help someone else.

“Generally, this pattern is repeated in the summer months due to sport events and holiday activities so we need to make sure we have enough crutches to be able to help those patients that need them.”

Anyone who has crutches from Furness General Hospital’s Emergency Department at home is asked to return them to the reception desk or plaster room as soon as possible.