Nottinghamshire's healthcare system has stood down the critical incident that was declared one week ago. Health leaders said hospitals had seen a reduction in hospital bed admissions and an increase in discharge levels, which were the main factors leading to the alert last Thursday (September 29).
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire said it was grateful for staff and the public's help, but reminded patients to still use services wisely. "Our emergency departments continue to see high numbers of patients so health and care services will continue to work together to manage the pressure, and there remain a range of steps everyone can take to help," it stated.
A critical incident is declared when the level of disruption results in a local NHS organisation temporarily or permanently losing its ability to deliver critical services. It was first declared by Nottinghamshire University Hospitals Trust (NUH), which runs QMC and City Hospital on September 28.
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The NHS trust said high emergency attendances and difficulties with discharging patients led to the decision, after waiting numbers in hospitals began to grow as a result. This problem was mirrored at Sherwood Forest Hospital NHS Trust, which runs King’s Mill, Newark and Mansfield Community Hospitals.
Both trusts were forced to cancel some operations. Amanda Sullivan, chief executive of NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, said a spike in Covid cases had also been a contributory factor.
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