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Four NHS hospital trusts have declared critical incidents as they face significant and ongoing pressure across their healthcare services. According to NHS Surrey Heartlands, the situation is exacerbated by a rise in flu and norovirus cases, alongside an increase in staff sickness levels. This has led to challenges in managing patient demand and ensuring adequate care.
The trusts affected by these critical incidents in Surrey include Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. Additionally, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has declared a critical incident due to sustained pressures at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.
NHS Surrey Heartlands explains that the surge in complex cases arriving at A&E departments, as well as difficulties in discharging patients who are medically fit to leave hospital, have contributed to the current pressures. The recent cold spell has also increased admissions of frail patients, further impacting hospital services.
Dr Charlotte Canniff, joint chief medical officer of NHS Surrey Heartlands, stated that declaring a critical incident enables trusts to implement extra measures to maintain patient safety and manage the growing demands. However, this means some non-urgent operations, treatments, and outpatient appointments may need to be postponed to prioritize patients with urgent clinical needs. She emphasised that people should still attend scheduled appointments unless contacted otherwise, and cancer and other urgent operations will continue to be prioritised.
In Kent, hospitals are experiencing exceptionally high demand, driven by ongoing high admission rates along with many patients suffering from winter illnesses and respiratory viruses. The trust noted that hospital beds are fully occupied, and emergency departments are extremely busy with limited capacity to admit more patients needing acute care. They advised that visiting emergency departments for non-life-threatening conditions could lead to long waits and encouraged the use of alternative medical services where appropriate.
The hospitals involved in these critical incidents include a range of facilities operated by the trusts in question. Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust manages hospitals such as Royal Surrey County Hospital and several others including cancer centres. Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust runs Epsom Hospital, Royal Marsden Hospital, and others. Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust oversees East Surrey Hospital, Horsham Hospital, and multiple clinics. East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust operates several hospitals including Buckland Hospital, Medway Hospital, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital
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