Walsall NHS trust declares 'critical incident' amid influx of patients with respiratory conditions
An NHS trust in the Black Country has declared a critical incident due to an increased number of patients who require hospital treatment, particularly people with respiratory conditions.
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Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, which operates Walsall Manor Hospital, has confirmed that it is seeing increased numbers of patients requiring hospital treatment.
A critical incident is the highest level of alert used by the NHS and allows healthcare bosses to take immediate steps to increase capacity at hospitals.
Will Roberts, chief operating officer at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “We expect, and plan for, higher demand for our urgent and emergency care services in winter.
“At Walsall Manor, we are currently seeing increased numbers of people requiring hospital care - predominantly with respiratory conditions – and this inevitably impacts patient flow elsewhere. But we are working with our teams in both the hospital and community, as well as with our partners, to support patients who can be cared for at home and to help patients to be safely discharged where appropriate.
“We would remind people of the importance of their flu, Covid-19 and RSV vaccinations, and the services that are here to help them such as local pharmacies, which can give advice on a range of illnesses, and NHS 111 for those who need more urgent medical attention.”
