Critical incident declared at Coventry Hospital due to "severe" pressure on services
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) have said there's exceptionally high demand at Coventry Hospital's emergency department
A critical incident has been declared by the trust in charge of Coventry Hospital due to "serve and sustained" pressure on its services.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire said in a statement today (9th September) that there was "exceptionally high demand" in the emergency department as well as significant pressure on hospital beds.
Tracey Brigstock, Chief Nursing Officer, said the decision had been taken to "protect patient safety" and staff were "working tirelessly" but demand was exceeding capacity.
The hospital also said increased demand was causing "lengthy waits" for some patients.
Brigstock added: "We are asking the public to only attend the Emergency Department if they have a life-threatening emergency and to use NHS 111, GP services or urgent treatment centres where appropriate.
"I am sorry for the disruption this may cause and thank our staff for their continued professionalism. I also ask everyone to be patient and kind to our teams during this challenging time."