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A fifth NHS hospital trust has declared a critical incident in the past 24 hours as demand on its services becomes overwhelmed.
Nottingham University Hospitals Trust said it was facing “severe and ongoing pressure” The number of patients is increasing, with winter infections and staff getting sick.
Trust bosses said the combination was causing “significant and unacceptable” delays in A&E and hospital wards.
Previously, three trusts surrey He Yi Zai kent A serious incident has been declared as they grapple with a surge in hospital admissions influenza and norovirus.
They are Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and the Queen Elizabeth Mother Hospital in Margate.
Critical incident is the highest alert level used by the NHS and once a critical incident is declared, hospitals may redirect resources, postpone non-urgent treatment and seek external support.
Bosses at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust have implored the public to only visit emergency departments in emergencies or serious incidents and instead use other services.
Patients faced what they described as “unacceptably long” waits in corridors.
Emergency room staff on the Queen’s Medical Center campus were originally designed to treat 350 patients per day, but the reality is that they are seeing more than 500 patients per day. Last Wednesday was the busiest day so far this year, with 550 patients visiting the emergency room.
“Demand for our hospital beds has exceeded all our forecast models,” the trust said. “Staff are under significant pressure.”
Rise in flu cases last month raises concerns The NHS may face its worst flu season in decades. In the first week of December, 1,717 patients were hospitalized England According to NHS England, infection rates increased by 56% in the same week in 2024.
A surge in flu admissions also has health chiefs worried about hospital overcrowding Hospital The spread of infection will not be controlled, putting patients being treated for serious conditions such as cancer at additional risk of infection.
minister of health Wes Streeting this month People urged to use A&E only Dealing with a real emergency as temperatures fall below freezing in the UK.
Manjeet Shehmar, medical director at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, said: “We have been utilizing every available space within the hospital. This includes beds on inpatient wards and emergency departments [emergency department].
“We currently have a number of patients in our corridors who are having to wait for long periods of time. This is not the care we receive and we are doing everything we can to ensure that patients are moved to a more appropriate location where they can receive the care they need.”
She appealed to anyone who wanted to go to A&E to contact NHS 111.
At least Seventeen other trusts have declared serious incidents this month.