Update on the critical incident across the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire health and care system – how you can help

Due to the continued demand for urgent and emergency care services, the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire health and care system continues to be in a critical incident.

The local NHS continues to take additional steps to prioritise and maintain safe services. Although we have seen some reductions in pressure, the overall demand remains at such a level that the critical incident response will be continued, especially as we head into the weekend.  

Thank you to everyone working in our health and care organisations across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire for providing our patients the safest care possible under incredibly difficult circumstances. Working together we have eased the pressure on our emergency departments and adapted our services to continue to offer the best care to our patients.

We would also like to thank the public for their continued support as we respond to this situation. There are some very important ways that you can help to keep pressures on the system down as we head into the weekend. These include collecting any prescriptions in advance of the weekend and making sure you visit your GP or local pharmacists if you have any concerns. It is also important to make sure you stay hydrated as we know that the warmer weather can result in many illnesses which can be avoided by drinking water.

Most importantly, please remember that your health service is still here for you if you need us.

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.