Critical incident declared at Royal Stoke hospital
The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust say they've been experiencing extremely high demand
Last updated 14th Jan 2026
The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust has declared a critical incident today (14th January).
The Trust says it's been experiencing extremely high demand for all its services, especially at Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Patients are reportedly unable to be admitted to beds fast enough.
Additional measures will now be put in place to ensure patient safety isn't compromised.
People are being urged to only use A&E in serious or life-threatening emergencies.
Mike Goodwin, UHNM Deputy Chief Operating Officer, said: “Our teams work tirelessly to keep patients safe. We are working with our NHS and Local Authority partners to put in place measures to ensure that people who need hospital and emergency care can get treatment quickly and to identify and utilise any additional capacity to allow us to discharge patients that do not require hospital care.
“As anticipated, the pressure is greatest in our emergency departments, particularly at Royal Stoke University Hospital, which is facing on-going challenges as patients are unable to be admitted to beds promptly.
“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.
“We continue to ask the public to help us by only using A&E in a serious or life threatening emergency and for their help when we’re discharging their friends or loved ones to ensure they’re picked up from hospital as soon as possible and have everything they need at home.
“I would like to thank our staff for their on-going efforts during this extremely busy period and the public for their understanding and co-operation.”