Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) has declared a critical incident today, Tuesday 20 October, following some of the highest pressures on record across its hospitals over the past week.
The trust said significant demand, particularly in A&E, was resulting in lengthy waits for patients, with staff working under extreme pressure.
NUH has recorded three of its highest A&E attendances in the past two weeks. In September 2026, there were 2,000 more attendances than in September 2025, contributing to continuing pressures.
The trust said more than 200 patients were currently in A&E, with more than 100 waiting to be seen. It described this as an unacceptable level that increased the risk of harm, with patients also facing unacceptable and lengthy waits in corridors.
There have also been particularly high numbers of cardiology patients requiring intensive care over prolonged periods, diverting resources from other areas.
Meanwhile, more than 200 patients across its hospitals are safe to leave — equivalent to almost eight wards of patients who no longer need hospital care.
Tracy Pilcher, Chief Nurse at NUH, said: “We are seeing significant pressures across our hospitals and in particular in our A&E department, where we have more than 100 patients waiting to be seen and have seen the highest attendances on record. Not just once, but three times in two weeks.
“In the last 24 hours staff have been working hard to do everything they can to mitigate the pressures, focusing on getting patients seen and home quickly and safely. Despite this, we still find ourselves in an incredibly difficult position today and have declared a critical incident to protect our patients and support our staff.
“We recognise that significant waits to be seen and corridor care is not the way our staff want to work or our patients want to be seen, and for that we are very sorry. Please be reassured that we are doing all we can and hope that the actions we are taking will improve the situation as soon as possible.
“Getting patients out of the hospital when they are ready is vital to improving our position. We currently have 200 patients in our hospitals who no longer need to be here. If you have a family member in our hospitals who is ready to return home, we would urge you to collect them as soon as possible. This helps those patients returning home, who will recover better, and those who urgently need our care.”
How the trust is responding
NUH said it was creating more capacity for patients who need care to help them move through the hospital.
Staff are being asked to work additional shifts to increase capacity, while teams across its sites are identifying opportunities to discharge patients as quickly and safely as possible.
The trust is also working closely with partners across the health and care system to identify further ways to improve patient flow.
How the public can help
NUH has asked relatives to collect patients as early as possible once they are ready to be discharged and need transport home. This helps hospital teams and frees up beds for people waiting to be admitted.
The trust has also issued the following advice:
- Only call 999 or attend the emergency department for serious accidents and life-threatening emergencies.
- For situations that are not life-threatening, use NHS 111 online or call 111 for advice about alternative support.
- Urgent Treatment Centres treat injuries including sprains, strains, suspected fractures, bites, cuts and scalds, as well as other non-emergency conditions. Waiting times are usually much shorter than in the emergency department.
- Pharmacies can help with allergies, constipation, headaches and many other ailments. More than 200 pharmacies in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire can provide NHS medicines for seven common conditions through the Pharmacy First service. Depending on age, these include urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women, earache, shingles, sinusitis, impetigo and sore throats. Further details are available on the NHS website.
- Anyone with flu or other respiratory illness symptoms should wait until they are better before visiting loved ones in hospital.
