In recent months there has been a great deal of coverage of a “crisis in Accident & Emergency” at English hospitals.

My son is a junior A&E doctor so I’m well aware that all hospitals have seen increases in the number of patients turning up at A&E and some hospitals in some areas have struggled to cope. The problem is particularly acute during winter, which tends to be the busiest season for A&E.

However, this is not the whole picture and it is very important that we give prominence to examples of good practice in our NHS and I’m pleased to say that that is happening in Warrington.

One issue that has put a lot of pressure on hospitals is that more and more people with minor ailments are turning up at A&E instead of using other NHS services, particular GPs. A&Es are open 24/7 and you don’t need an appointment, so it’s not surprising that people choose A&E over visiting their GP.

However, in Warrington, the Clinical Commissioning Group (which is now responsible for deciding where Warrington’s NHS money is spent) has worked together with Warrington Hospital to put in place new procedures to take the pressure off Warrington’s A&E.

Rather than having each patient wait in line to be called, in Warrington patients are assessed by nurses soon after they arrive. Those who have a genuine need of Emergency Care are separated out from those who have more minor injuries with the latter being redirected through other NHS services.

So every patient gets seen within the 4 hour waiting time target, those with the most urgent needs get prioritised and, best of all, the NHS saves money because fewer patients are using A&E services – which are expensive.

So successful has Warrington’s NHS been in reducing their A&E patients that the Secretary of State for Health himself called to congratulate them.

The NHS is at its very best when its many wonderful professionals work together to provide the best possible care for patients. This is a shining example of the NHS at its best.