Nottingham and Nottinghamshire health and care system declares critical incident

The health and care system in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire has declared a critical incident due to continued and unprecedented pressure on its services. 

We are continuing to see significant levels of Covid-19 in our hospitals, alongside high numbers of patients arriving at our hospitals for other conditions. There are extended waiting times to access beds within our hospitals. This, paired with difficulties in discharging patients due to a lack of capacity across our care sector as well as staff absence due to Covid-19 is causing a significant strain on the system.

As a result, the healthcare system is taking additional steps to prioritise and maintain safe services for patients. Our aim is to prioritise patients with the highest level of need and ensure that we continue to be able to manage emergency care. This means that some non-urgent operations, where patients require a stay in hospital, will be postponed to prioritise patients with the most urgent clinical need.

We regret that it has been necessary to take this step, but it is important that we focus on patients needing urgent and emergency care as a priority. If you are not contacted directly about an operation being postponed, please continue to attend your appointment as usual.

This critical incident is an indication of the serious pressure the system is facing. We are working extremely hard to ensure people are kept safe but there are ways that you can help.

Our teams are continuing to work exceptionally hard and we would like to reassure the public that despite the challenges faced, our services remain open for anyone who needs them.

What you can do to help

• Only call 999 or attend A&E departments for serious accidents and for genuine emergencies.
• When you need urgent medical care but it’s not an emergency, please visit NHS 111 online or call NHS111 for advice on how to get the care you need at any time of day or night.
• Urgent treatment centres – like the ones on London Road in Nottingham, Newark Hospital, Ilkeston Community Hospital, and Primary Care 24 at King’s Mill Hospital – can help you get the care you need for dealing with the most common issues that people attend emergency departments for. They will often be able to help you get the care you need more quickly than accident and emergency departments if you are suffering from things like a burn or a sprain.
• For other non-urgent cases, when you need medical advice and it’s not an emergency, please speak to your GP practice or a pharmacist.
• Please continue to treat all NHS and care staff with the respect they deserve. Our hard-working staff and volunteers are doing all they can to keep patients safe and supported.
• If you cannot make any NHS appointment, please contact the number on your appointment letter so that it can be reallocated to another patient.
• Make sure you wash your hands and wear a mask when visiting health care settings in order to protect the public and our own staff from Covid-19.
• If you are eligible and have not already, please make sure you have had all of your Covid-19 vaccinations.