Critical incident declared at two hospitals after ‘severe pressure’ on services | ITV News

A critical incident has been declared at two hospitals in the Midlands after “severe and sustained pressure” on services.

Staff at Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford say there has been high demand over the past week, with even higher levels over the weekend.

Patients are being warned of long delays and are urged to only visit A&E in a life-threatening emergency.

Katy Thorpe, UHNM Chief Operating Officer said: “We have taken the difficult decision to declare a critical incident. This helps us to take additional measures to maintain safe services for our patients and those in the community waiting for an ambulance.

“Locally we are working with our NHS and local authority partners to ensure that people who need hospital and emergency care can get treatment quickly and to identify any additional support that allows us to discharge patients who do not require acute hospital care.

“As anticipated, the pressure is greatest in our emergency departments, which are facing continued challenges as patients cannot be admitted to bed promptly.”

“Much longer delays”

Dr Diane Adamson, UHNM Chief Medical Officer, said: “During this time the emergency departments will continue to see the sickest patients first, which means, for some patients, there maybe much longer delays than usual.

“We continue to ask the public to help us by only using A&E in a serious or life-threatening emergency. When we’re discharging patients, we ask that their friends or loved ones pick them up from hospital as soon as possible and have everything they need at home.

“I would like to thank our staff for their ongoing efforts during this extremely challenging period and the public for their understanding and co-operation.”

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