Nottingham University Hospitals announced the incident this afternoon 29 December.
Nottingham University Hospitals said:
‘We are asking our local communities to help ease pressures on our hospitals and support us to safely discharge patients home and free up beds across our hospitals.
‘Today (29 December), we have declared a critical incident due to the large number of very poorly people arriving at our Emergency Department (ED) who need to be admitted to our hospitals suffering from respiratory conditions.
‘This demand is causing very long waits for patients to be seen and long waits to be admitted to a ward, causing overcrowding in our ED.
- There are more than 220 people in ED at QMC with more than 70 patients waiting to be admitted to a ward
- More than 160 patients in our hospitals have been medically fit to be discharged for more than 24 hours and are waiting to be discharged
- We are caring for 173 patients with flu and a further 122 patients with COVID on our wards
‘In addition, the health and care system in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire has declared a critical incident, affecting health services across the city and county, including Sherwood Forest Hospitals.
‘We are taking additional steps to prioritise and maintain safe services for patients. Our aim is to prioritise patients with the highest level of need and ensure that we continue to be able to manage emergency care.
‘Our teams are continuing to work exceptionally hard and we would like to reassure the public that despite the challenges faced, our emergency services remain open and you should continue to come forward as normal in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.
What you can do to help
- If your relative is due to be discharged from the hospital and needs to be collected, please do so as early as possible. This will help our teams and free up a hospital bed for someone waiting to be admitted.
- Only call 999 or attend A&E departments for serious accidents and for life threatening emergencies.
- Where the situation is not life-threatening, alternative support will be available through NHS111 online or by calling 111
- Pharmacies can offer over the counter advice and treat common illnesses such as colds, sore throats, stings and allergies.
Dr Keith Girling, Medical Director at NUH, said:
“Our staff are working tirelessly to get patients home safely and in a timely manner. With the busy holiday period, often families aren’t ready or prepared for their loved one to come home and we are asking for their support to help our discharge teams get those patients who are medically fit back home as soon as possible.
“There are some really simple things that can help, like collecting your relatives as soon as possible, setting up a bedroom in their home or going to their house to stock the fridge and pop the heating on.”
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