Four hospital trusts in southeast England declare critical incidents due to 'sustained pressures'
A mix of winter illnesses and high demand is putting NHS services under severe strain
Four NHS hospital trusts in southeast England have declared critical incidents due to sustained pressures on services, including increases in complex A&E admissions.
NHS Surrey Heartlands stated that the surge in demand in Surrey is being caused by higher flu and norovirus cases, alongside rising staff sickness rates. Trusts are also reporting challenges brought on by the recent cold weather, which has particularly impacted frail patients requiring hospital care.
Three Surrey NHS trusts—Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust—are currently facing critical incidents.
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has also declared a critical incident due to high pressure at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.
The trust highlighted "exceptionally high demand" across its hospitals, driven by ongoing high admission rates as well as winter illnesses and respiratory viruses.
It added that hospital beds are full, emergency attendances remain high, and there is "very limited capacity" to admit additional patients needing acute care.
Responding to the declarations, NHS Surrey Heartlands explained that they reflect "a level of NHS escalation that enables trusts to focus on critical services." The situation has also been compounded by difficulties in discharging patients who are ready to leave.