Critical incident declared at hospitals in Staffordshire
Royal Stoke and Stafford's County Hospital remain under pressure
Critical incidents remain in place at two hospitals in Staffordshire, as people are urged to use the NHS wisely.
University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) is currently experiencing extremely high demand at both Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford.
They have measures in place because they're experiencing high demand for help.
Bosses claim pressure is greatest in the emergency departments as patients are unable to be admitted to beds promptly.
They're urging everyone to only use A&E in a serious or life threatening emergency - anyone who does attended is being warned they are long delays.
Katy Thorpe, UHNM Chief Operating Officer, said: “We have seen even greater demands on our services in the last 24 hours and we are currently under extreme pressure.
“We have therefore taken the decision to declare a critical incident. This helps us to take additional measures to maintain safe services for our patients.
“During this time the emergency departments will continue to see the sickest patients first, which means for some patients there may be much longer delays for their treatment."