Hospitals declare critical incident amid 'significant pressure' as Brits urged not to go to A&E

Leicester hospitals have declared a critical incident today amid "significant pressure".

The impact means people should only attend A&E for conditions that are life-threatening and that some patients will have longer-than-expected waits for receiving attention.

The University of Leicester Trust (UHL) said its hospitals were seeing “a higher than usual number of patients needing care”.

This is creating “a challenging ambulance handover situation and limited ability to discharge patients to onward care or home”, the trust added in a joint statement with the local Integrated Care Board which oversees NHS services in the city and county.

The emergency department at Leicester Royal Infirmary and the clinical decisions unit at Glenfield Hospital are “particularly busy”, it said. People might experience “longer than usual waits for their care and admission to wards”, the trust continued.

But it has reassured patients that “essential services remain fully open for anyone who needs them, and anyone who has an appointment over the coming days should attend unless they are contacted directly”.

The trust has also issued an apology to “anyone affected” by the delays. UHL last declared a critical incident in January this year. It saw “hundreds of people” left waiting for “hours” to be seen.

UHL medical director Andrew Furlong said: “The safety of patients and the wellbeing of our colleagues remain our top priorities as we work together to care for the people who need us. Please only attend the emergency department for life-threatening illness or injury that cannot be treated elsewhere. This allows us to treat those who are most seriously ill.

“If you need care urgently but it’s not life threatening, please call NHS 111 or use 111 online where trained advisors can support you in getting care in the right place for your needs. I would like to thank our incredible teams across the health and social care sector for their continued efforts in keeping our patients safe.”

The trust added that declaring a critical incident allowed it to “take additional steps” around how services are managed so it could "maintain safety for patients and help staff manage the growing pressures” being experienced. That includes “focusing workforce on areas where most needed, asking some staff to come back from annual leave to work, and using all capacity possible across the health system”, it said.

UHL has also issued the following advice to patients:

• Only call 999 or come to the emergency department in a life or limb threatening emergency

• When you need urgent medical care but it’s not an emergency, please visit NHS 111 online or call NHS111 for advice on how to get the care you need at any time of day or night. If needed, they can book you an appointment or arrival time at one of several urgent care services across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.

• Think Pharmacy First. Pharmacists can help with many illnesses. They can give advice and treatments that don’t need a prescription. Many can also give you prescription medicine for some conditions, so you don’t need to see a GP.