UK hospital declares major incident as A&E under ‘immense pressure’
A major hospital in the UK has declared a critical incident, warning it is facing “immense pressures” on its services.
Wigan’s Royal Albert Edward Infirmary urged people to avoid its A&E unless suffering a “life or limb-threatening emergency”.
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh (WWL) Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust warned that “unprecedented attendances” meant the emergency department was “full”. It said it is working with partners to discharge patients who are ready to leave hospital.
The trust, which previously declared a critical incident in December, said the safety of its patients is the “top priority”.
By declaring a critical incident, hospitals are able to take action so that safe services are maintained despite increasing pressures.
A statement from the trust said it is “currently facing exceptionally high levels of occupancy, growing pressure on our services, and unprecedented attendances at our Emergency Department (A&E) at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan.”
It added: “We are also seeing ongoing challenges in discharging our patients who are well enough to leave hospital, which has a direct impact on the number of beds available for patients who are in desperate need of medical attention.
“As a result of this ongoing pressure, the trust has escalated its position to a critical incident, which means WWL can take additional action to maintain safe services for our patients and tackle this increasing pressure.
“The safety of our patients and our staff is always our top priority and we are working through who needs our help as quickly and as safely as we can. We must prioritise treatment for patients with life and limb-threatening conditions and injuries.”
