People are urged to only attend the emergency department for life-threatening illness or injury
Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother Hospital remains in a critical incident(Image: Google)
A Kent hospital remains in a critical incident due to “exceptionally high demand”. East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has been urging people to only attend the emergency department for life-threatening illness or injury.
Since declaring an internal critical incident at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate on Tuesday (January 13), the trust said it has seen the “positive impact” of people choosing the right services for their needs. Visitors were not allowed on the majority of wards following a rise in high levels of winter illness.
But, yesterday (January 15), the trust re-introduced visiting for patients in several areas of the hospital, including the Cheerful Sparrows Male ward, the Quex ward, the Heart Centre and the Discharge lounge. A critical incident in a hospital means the facility is overwhelmed due to extreme pressure, losing its ability to provide safe, essential services.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “By using alternatives such as NHS 111, GPs, pharmacies and urgent treatment centres where appropriate, you have helped our teams to focus on caring for the patients who need urgent and emergency hospital treatment the most.” They added: “We are working to re-introduce visiting to other areas as soon as possible and we will keep you updated.
“As part of our ongoing critical incident response, we are continuing to work closely with partners across the health and care system to safely discharge patients who no longer need acute hospital care, reduce avoidable admissions where it is safe to do so, review planned procedures and appointments. Unless you hear from us directly, please continue to attend your appointment as planned.
“We know how important it is for patients to have visits from loved ones while they are in hospital. We need to balance this with the need to protect patients and their visitors from winter viruses as much as possible.”
Children’s, critical care units and maternity areas remain open to visitors. The hospital said if a loved one is at the end of their life or needs specific support, it will ensure they are able to visit them.
Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer at East Kent Hospitals Sarah Hayes said: “On behalf of all our staff, I would like to thank our local community for the way people have responded during this challenging time. By using health services wisely, you are helping our staff to care for patients who need us most.
“We are still extremely busy and under pressure, but the continued support and understanding of the public really does make a difference. I also want to thank our teams, who remain committed to providing safe, compassionate care to everyone who needs us.”
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