Bosses at a Kent hospital have today stood down their “critical incident” alert.
On Tuesday, bosses at the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust had declared a critical incident at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford because of the high level of demand, especially in A&E.
But after the hospital stopped taking in patients except those with life-threatening conditions, the situation has eased.
However, the pressure has still not returned fully to normal, and to avoid a repeat use of the emergency powers, the hospital is still appealing to patients to stay away unless absolutely necessary.
In particular, the trust said: “Please only visit the emergency department for life-threatening scenarios.
“For other issues, use NHS 111, GPs, pharmacies, or Urgent Treatment Centres.
“Pick up relatives being discharged promptly.
“Don’t visit if you have symptoms of flu, norovirus, or other infections.
“Only one visitor per patient, and avoid bringing children. Practice good hand hygiene.”
Part of the problem was the high number of patients admitted with winter illnesses and respiratory viruses.
A critical incident is where the level of disruption results in a trust temporarily or permanently losing its ability to deliver key services.
The East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest hospital trusts in England.
It runs the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in Canterbury, the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, the Buckland Hospital in Dover and the Royal Victoria Hospital in Folkestone, as well as some outpatient facilities in the East Kent and Medway areas.
