Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has declared a critical incident after patients faced "unacceptable and lengthy waits on corridors" amid record attendances and sustained pressure on services over the past two weeks.
The trust, which runs Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) and Nottingham City Hospital, reported more than 200 patients in its A&E at QMC at the time of the declaration, with over 100 waiting to be seen. In a statement, NUH said: "This is an unacceptable level and increases the risk of harm."
Record Pressures and High Acuity Patients
NUH recorded 2,000 more A&E attendances last month compared with September last year. The trust also noted "particularly high" numbers of cardiology patients requiring intensive care levels over prolonged periods, which diverted resources from other areas and added to the strain.
The statement continued: "We have more than 200 patients in our hospitals who are safe to leave our hospitals, which is almost eight wards of patients who no longer need to be here. Patients are having unacceptable and lengthy waits on corridors in A&E. Staff are working under extreme pressure."
Trust's Response and Apology
Tracy Pilcher, chief nurse at NUH, said the trust has been "working hard" to mitigate pressures, focusing on getting patients seen and home "quickly and safely". She added: "Despite this, we still find ourselves in an incredibly difficult position today and have declared a critical incident to protect our patients and support our staff."
Ms Pilcher acknowledged that "significant waits to be seen and corridor care is not the way our staff want to work or our patients want to be seen, and for that we are very sorry." She urged families to collect relatives who are ready to leave hospital, noting that "getting patients out of the hospital when they are ready is vital to improving our position."
Discharges and Public Advice
Later in the evening, the trust said almost 250 patients had been safely discharged, but QMC and City remained "under significant pressure". People have been urged to collect relatives as soon as possible after treatment and to attend A&E only in an emergency or for serious accidents. The trust also encouraged patients with non-life-threatening conditions to contact 111 first and use urgent treatment centres for injuries such as sprains and cuts.
