Patients at Royal Liverpool University Hospital’s accident and emergency unit are facing waits of up to 50 hours. Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has declared a “critical incident” due to “exceptionally high demand” on services and urged people to only go to A&E in a genuine medical emergency. The hospital said it was “extremely busy” amid a rising number of patients with flu and other respiratory conditions. Critical incidents have also been declared in the East Midlands and Cornwall. The East Midlands Ambulance Service – which covers Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire – has declared the first critical incident in its history due to a combination of “significant patient demand, pressure within hospitals and flooding”. Meanwhile, health bosses have asked people suffering from flu, Covid, norovirus or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to stay away from the Royal Cornwall Hospital’s A&E department in Truro.
Source link
