UK hospital reports serious incident as A&E under ‘extreme pressure’

A major UK hospital has declared a critical incident, warning it faces “enormous pressures” on its services.

Wigan’s Royal Albert Edward Hospital urged people to avoid their emergencies unless they had a “life- or limb-threatening emergency”.

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh (WWL) Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust warned that “unprecedented visits” meant the emergency department was “full”. He said he was working with partners to get patients ready to leave the hospital.

The trust, which previously announced a critical incident in December, said the safety of its patients was its “priority”.

By reporting a critical incident, hospitals can take steps to ensure safe services are maintained despite increasing pressures.

A statement from the fund said it was “currently facing exceptionally high occupancy levels, increasing pressure on our services and unprecedented attendances at our Emergency Department (A&E) at the Royal Albert Edward Hospital in Wigan”.

He added: “We continue to see challenges in discharging our patients who are well enough to leave hospital, which has a direct impact on the number of beds available for patients who need medical attention.

“As a result of this continued pressure, the trust has raised its status to a critical incident, which means WWL can take additional measures to maintain safe services for our patients and to deal with this increasing pressure.

“The safety of our patients and our staff is always our priority, and we work with anyone who needs our help as quickly and safely as possible. We must prioritize treating patients with life- and limb-threatening conditions and injuries.

A major UK hospital has declared a critical incident, warning it faces “enormous pressures” on its services.

Wigan’s Royal Albert Edward Hospital urged people to avoid their emergencies unless they had a “life- or limb-threatening emergency”.

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh (WWL) Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust warned that “unprecedented visits” meant the emergency department was “full”. He said he was working with partners to get patients ready to leave the hospital.

The trust, which previously announced a critical incident in December, said the safety of its patients was its “priority”.

By reporting a critical incident, hospitals can take steps to ensure safe services are maintained despite increasing pressures.

A statement from the fund said it was “currently facing exceptionally high occupancy levels, increasing pressure on our services and unprecedented attendances at our Emergency Department (A&E) at the Royal Albert Edward Hospital in Wigan”.

He added: “We continue to see challenges in discharging our patients who are well enough to leave hospital, which has a direct impact on the number of beds available for patients who need medical attention.

“As a result of this continued pressure, the trust has raised its status to a critical incident, which means WWL can take additional steps to address this increasing pressure and maintain safe services for our patients.

“The safety of our patients and our staff is always our priority, and we work with anyone who needs our help as quickly and safely as possible. We must prioritize treating patients with life- and limb-threatening conditions and injuries.