William Harvey Hospital declares critical incident due to high demand
Patients urged to use alternative services unless facing life-threatening emergencies
The East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has declared an internal critical incident due to unprecedented demand for services at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
Hospital beds are currently full, and attendance at the emergency department is extremely high, limiting capacity to admit further patients who need urgent care. The Trust has also confirmed an increase in patients presenting with winter illnesses and respiratory viruses.
Patients urged to seek alternatives
The hospital is asking the public to support efforts to protect vital services by only attending the emergency department for life-threatening illnesses or injuries.
Those who need medical help for non-life-threatening conditions are urged to use alternative services, including NHS 111, local GPs, pharmacies or urgent treatment centres. Advice is also available online at 111.nhs.uk .
Discharge and appointments
As part of its response to the critical incident, the Trust is working with health and care partners to safely discharge patients who no longer need acute care and reduce avoidable admissions.
Appointments and planned procedures are currently under review, but patients are advised to assume their appointments will go ahead unless contacted directly.
Family and friends of patients ready for discharge are being asked to collect their loved ones as soon as possible, if they are able.
Advice for winter illnesses
Anyone suffering from winter illnesses is advised to stay at home, rest, stay hydrated, and consider using over-the-counter medications like paracetamol or ibuprofen to manage symptoms.
Statement from Trust
Sarah Hayes, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer at East Kent Hospitals, praised staff for continuing to deliver high standards of care in challenging conditions.
“Our teams continue to work incredibly hard in exceptionally busy conditions to ensure patients receive safe, high quality and compassionate care. The pressure on our urgent and emergency services remains extremely high, and we are focused on supporting patients who need us most,” Hayes said.
“Declaring a critical incident enables us to keep patients safe by drawing on additional support from our colleagues across the health system, both in terms of enabling safe discharges and providing support to keep patients out of hospital.
“As always, we would like to thank our patients and the public for their continued understanding. It’s important that anyone who needs urgent medical help continues to come forward – using 999 in life-threatening emergencies and 111 for other urgent care.
Anyone who is unsure about where to go should call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk for advice.”