The trust that runs the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) and City Hospital in Nottingham has declared a critical incident after admitting it is ‘experiencing pressures like never before’
The NHS trust responsible for the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) and City Hospital in Nottingham has declared a critical incident, admitting it is “experiencing pressures like never before”.
Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) has attributed this to a surge in demand for its services, coupled with a rise in winter infections and staff sickness since Christmas, leading to “unacceptable and lengthy waits” for patients.
The trust revealed that over 500 patients are flooding into the emergency department at Queen’s Medical Centre daily – a significant strain considering it was designed to accommodate 350 patients within a 24-hour span.
On the busiest day of the year so far, Wednesday, January 7, patient numbers in A&E spiked to 550, resulting in demand outstripping the number of available hospital beds.
In response, NUH has implored the public and patients to carefully consider whether their situation necessitates a visit to A&E. However, those with scheduled appointments should attend as planned unless instructed otherwise, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
Andrew Hall, chief operating officer at the trust, expressed his concern, stating: “We are experiencing pressures like never before. Despite our teams working tirelessly, the demand on our hospitals far exceeds our capacity.”
He added: “Declaring a critical incident is not a decision we have taken lightly, but it is necessary to protect patient safety.”
Apologising for the impact of the situation, he said: “I am deeply sorry for the poor experience this is causing and ask everyone to treat our staff with kindness as they work through this difficult period to deliver the quality of care that you expect.”
The NHS has highlighted that patients can assist in reducing strain by promptly collecting relatives who are ready to be discharged from hospital, as this helps liberate beds for other patients awaiting admission.
The trust has also encouraged people to explore alternative options such as ringing 111 or popping into a pharmacy before turning up at A&E.
In the wake of declaring the critical incident on Tuesday (January 13), NUH confirmed it will be postponing non-urgent medical procedures – including surgery – to make room for the most poorly patients.
The trust revealed it will also redeploy staff to help ease pressures and will halt non-essential meetings.
Dr Manjeet Shehmar, medical director at the trust, explained: “Our teams in our Emergency Department will continue to see the sickest patients first, which means that if you attend our ED at QMC for conditions that are not an emergency then you will have an extremely long wait and may be redirected to use other services instead.
“We continue to ask the public to help us by only using ED in an emergency or serious accidents. For all other issues please ensure you have called 111 beforehand to be directed to the most appropriate service.
“When we’re discharging patients, we ask that their friends or loved ones pick them up from hospital as soon as possible and have everything they need at home.”
The trust had previously announced a critical incident in November of the previous year, partly attributed to problems with the implementation of a new electronic patient record, alongside staffing difficulties and persistent demand.