Another hospital trust has announced a critical incident this week due to significant pressure on its services. Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) Trust cited high demand, winter infections, and staff sickness as causes for “significant and unacceptable delays” in its emergency department and hospital wards since Christmas. The trust is urging the public to only seek A&E services in emergencies.
This development follows four NHS hospital trusts in South East England, specifically three in Surrey and one in Kent, declaring critical incidents on Monday due to a surge in complex admissions to A&E departments. NHS Surrey Heartlands mentioned that flu and norovirus cases, along with staff sickness, have exacerbated the situation at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.
Additionally, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust declared a critical incident due to a significant increase in demand for hospital care at Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital. NUH Trust’s Chief Operating Officer Andrew Hall stated that the decision to declare a Critical Incident was necessary to safeguard patient safety amidst unprecedented pressures on hospital capacity.
Dr. Charlotte Canniff, Joint Chief Medical Officer of NHS Surrey Heartlands, emphasized the importance of using NHS services appropriately and only visiting A&E in emergencies. She highlighted the need for timely discharge of patients to free up hospital capacity for those requiring treatment and encouraged the public to continue seeking urgent medical help if needed.
Recent reports indicate that hospital trusts in Birmingham, Staffordshire, and parts of Wales have also faced sustained pressure due to an uptick in norovirus cases.
