NHS trusts declare critical incidents amid ‘sustained pressure’
Share:
A number of NHS trusts in England have declared critical incidents amid “exceptionally high demands” on emergency departments. One trust said it is seeing “high numbers of older patients with respiratory problems exacerbated by the cold weather”.
Experts said this flu season is the “straw that is breaking the camel’s back” when it comes to urgent care. Non-urgent patients have been warned they will face long waits in A&E and have been urged to “consider other options”, such as contacting their GP, visiting a pharmacy or calling NHS 111.
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust declared critical incidents on Tuesday morning, while NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group declared a critical incident at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital on Monday evening.
Critical incidents can be declared when health and care services are so busy that special measures are needed to restore normal operations and keep patients safe. In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Due to sustained pressures at our Basingstoke and Winchester hospitals, we have declared a critical incident.
“Our emergency departments are facing extremely high attendance levels. Non-life-threatening conditions will result in long waits.”. A statement on the trust’s website added: “This decision has not been taken lightly; however, beds across both hospitals are full and attendance at our emergency departments is extremely high, which means there is currently no capacity to admit further patients needing our care.”.
