By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent
NHS staff have told Sky News they are preparing for "unprecedented" numbers of people turning up at accident and emergency departments on Monday.
The rush is expected as many people will be trying to get GP appointments after the extended Christmas break and those that are unsuccessful may go to hospital instead.
Dr Denise Langhor is an A&E consultant at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral.
She told Sky News: "With Christmas Day and Boxing Day falling on a Thursday and Friday and then the weekend, it's essentially a four-day bank holiday weekend. We are expecting unprecedented levels of attendances on Monday.
"We know last year after Christmas and Boxing Day that our attendances the first normal working day after that increased by a third.
"It's probably going to be worse this year because the whole of the NHS is currently under immense strain and there's been more attendances this winter since records began.
"But obviously this time it's a four day bank holiday weekend. We are expecting extreme pressure and a lot of difficulties."
Already this winter has seen waiting times in A&E departments hit record levels, with many hospitals failing to meet the target of dealing with 95% of patients within four hours.
Once all beds are full, ambulance queues build up outside departments with patients waiting on trolleys for extended periods of time before they are seen by doctors.
At Arrowe Park, like many other hospitals, it has been happening almost daily during the busy winter period.
Dr Langhor said it is extremely stressful "when people are on the corridor still in the care of the paramedics they could potentially be unwell and needing a space".
"The other bad things about having paramedics queuing in our corridor is they're not out there on the streets, answering the 999 calls which is where they really need to be," she said.
Extra staff have been brought in to deal with the huge numbers expected on Monday.
Anyone with a more minor ailment or injury is being advised to seek help at walk-in centres or wait for a GP appointment so that hospital staff can focus on treating the most seriously ill.
Senior nurse Helen Morris told Sky News: "When we have people that turn up that could alternatively go to a walk-in centre, an urgent care centre, a dentist, these are the minor injuries that don't necessarily need to come in but obviously will take the time of both the nurses and doctors away from the patients that really need it."
All the staff agree that Monday will be a challenge and with an ageing population they foresee demand for services will only increase with each year that goes by.
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