Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust declares a critical incident as patients face lengthy waits in accident and emergency (A&E) corridors across its three sites: Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham City Hospital, and Ropewalk House.
Reasons Behind the Crisis
Surging demand over the past week, driven primarily by a sharp rise in respiratory illnesses, overwhelms the trust’s services. More than half of adult beds now house patients aged over 80, while nearly two full wards’ worth of patients remain in hospital beyond necessary stays. This capacity strain places staff under extreme pressure.
Chief Operating Officer’s Urgent Appeal
Andrew Hall, the trust’s chief operating officer, urges the public to assess the need for A&E visits carefully. Individuals facing true emergencies should proceed to A&E, but others should consult a local pharmacy or call 111 for advice. Patients with scheduled appointments must attend unless notified otherwise.
Hall states: “The pressures we are seeing in our hospitals are significant and our patients are having to wait longer than they should to be seen. 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 we declaring a Critical Incident is necessary to protect patient safety. I would like to apologise to all patients who are in our hospitals and are waiting for long periods.”
He adds: “While staff are doing all they can to help people to be seen quickly and hope to have more than 200 patients home today, we also need the public to help us. Getting patients home as soon as they are well enough to is vital and we would like families and carers to please prioritise getting their loved ones home when they are contacted. This could mean collecting them before you are due to finish work, making sure they have their medication ready at home and ensuring they have somewhere warm to go back to.”
Recent History of Strain
This declaration echoes a similar critical incident in January, triggered by post-Christmas surges in demand, winter illnesses, and staff absences, which caused major delays in emergency departments and wards. The trust continues to advise using A&E solely for emergencies or serious accidents.
Earlier that week, four NHS trusts in South East England—three in Surrey and one in Kent—also activated critical incidents due to spikes in complex A&E admissions.
