Nottingham hospital declares 'critical incident'

A "critical incident" has been declared at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) due to an increase in demand the trust has struggled to meet.

The hospital stated that it had seen "significant demand" on services in the last week, particularly in accident and emergency (A&E), which had resulted in patients suffering "unacceptable and lengthy waits" in corridors. It is the second time in two months that NUH had been forced to declare a critical incident.

Andrew Hall, chief operating officer at NUH, said: "We have been working tirelessly all week to mitigate the pressures we are currently seeing, but this has not had the desired impact, and so declaring a critical incident is necessary to protect patient safety". Mr Hall apologised to patients in the hospitals who had experienced long waiting times.

The NUH boss said patients who could safely return home were staying in hospital longer than they needed to - with the hospital hoping to send 200 patients home by the end of Friday. He urged families and carers to prioritise getting patients home - even if this meant having to leave work early.

The hospitals have reported a significant increase in patients with respiratory issues, which they stated had caused pressure on A&E capacity. More than half of the adult beds are currently taken by patients who are over 80, a demographic whose health issues impact them more than those of younger patients.

The hospitals have asked staff to work additional shifts, and are creating more bed space for patients to try and support flow through the hospitals. Mr Hall warned that staff are working under extreme pressure, and said people should "consider carefully whether or not you need to attend A&E".

Read more from Sky News:New snow and ice warnings issued across large parts of UKStorm Nils kills two in France NUH is one of the biggest NHS Trusts in the country, and the largest employer in Nottinghamshire, with more than 19,000 staff. Some of the trust's biggest sites include Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham City Hospital and Ropewalk House.

The trust previously declared a critical incident in January due to a rise in demand, winter infections and staff sickness. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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