Critical Incident declared by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Emergency department struggling with twice its patient capacity daily
Last updated 13th Jan 2026
Nottingham University Hospitals have declared a Critical Incident stating they're experiencing pressures like never before.
It comes as the emergency department at Queen’s Medical Centre is serving over 500 people a day - it's only designed to treat 350 patients within a 24-hour period.
The department’s physical spaces can hold up to 131 patients simultaneously, assuming they do not require extended stays in A&E. At times this month, the department has been dealing with up to 300 patients at once, leading to care being provided in corridor spaces.
Andrew Hall, Chief Operating Officer at NUH, told a hospital board meeting on Thursday 8th January:
“We are experiencing pressures like never before.
"Despite our teams working tirelessly, the demand on our hospitals far exceeds our capacity. Declaring a Critical Incident is not a decision we have taken lightly, but it is necessary to protect patient safety.
"I am deeply sorry for the poor experience this is causing and ask everyone to treat our staff with kindness as they work through this difficult period to deliver the quality of care that you expect.”
Overcrowding and delays
Mr Hall confirmed that NUH has been implementing a 45-minute handover delivery plan since December 2025, aiming to ensure East Midlands Ambulance Service patients are handed over within 45 minutes of arrival. While this allows ambulances to return to the community faster, it has led to patient care taking place in corridors.
The overcrowding has also put additional stress on NUH’s emergency beds. During the first week of January alone, the Trust saw around 1,300 patients admitted to emergency beds, exceeding its forecasted figures. NUH has kept open 30 additional beds to manage the demand but plans to close these soon.
Nick Carver, Chairperson at NUH, said:
“We do not seek to provide care on the corridors, it’s not optimal by any means at all. I think it’s preferable in those extreme situations to people not having ambulances to respond to their emergency needs… The system does not work optimally. If the system worked optimally, we wouldn’t have nearly 200 medically-safe discharge patients waiting to go home at the moment.”
Hitting NUH’s discharge target has been a key factor in alleviating these pressures. On 7th January, the hospital discharged 391 patients, helping speed up patient flow and free beds within wards.
What NUH is doing to respond
In response to the situation, NUH has implemented several measures:
- Rearranging elective procedures to prioritise urgent cases – patients affected will be contacted.
- Opening all available beds and spaces to increase capacity across teams.
- Redeploying staff to critical areas.
- Pausing non-essential meetings to focus on frontline care.
- Working with NHS and local partners to improve discharges and community support services.
Speaking on how staff are being managed during this period, Chief Nurse Tracy Pilcher said the Trust continues to staff corridor care with appropriate ratios. She added that patients being treated under these conditions have been “very understanding.”
NUH is also part of Tomorrow’s NUH, an initiative aimed at modernising and expanding medical facilities across QMC and Nottingham City Hospital. The Government’s New Hospital Programme (NHP) funds this project, but construction delays have pushed completion to 2037 or even later.
NUH’s appeal to the public
Dr Manjeet Shehmar, NUH’s Medical Director, urged the public to use A&E only for serious accidents or life-threatening emergencies. For lesser concerns, NHS 111 or Urgent Treatment Centres should be consulted instead.
“If you attend our ED at QMC for conditions that are not an emergency then you will have an extremely long wait and may be redirected to use other services instead,” Dr Shehmar said.
NUH also asked families to collect relatives being discharged from hospital as promptly as possible to free up beds for incoming patients. They recommended avoiding visits to hospital if experiencing flu or respiratory symptoms. Pharmacies providing NHS-medicine services for ailments such as UTIs and earaches are also encouraged as alternatives for non-urgent cases.
The Trust thanked patients and their families for their cooperation and understanding during this challenging time.