'Critical incident' declared at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
Health bosses at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust have today declared a 'critical incident' asking for people to only attend A&E for serious accidents and emergencies.
The trust which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital said in a statement that it had paused some non-urgent services following a prolonged and intense period of pressure due to the exceptionally high levels of demand for services.
The trust said that ongoing impacts from COVID-19 along with issues in discharging medically fit patients due to capacity issues within the local care sector were part of the pressure.
Patients were asked to continue to attend appointments or operations unless contacted to reschedule.
In a statement, the trust said: "Despite us taking every available option to free up capacity and create additional space, it has become clear today that we need to prioritise our services and so we have declared a critical incident. This means that we are pausing a limited number of non-urgent services to allow us to meet the most urgent needs of those we care for.
"Urgent services, including cancer, and time-critical procedures will continue, and we will contact patients directly who may be affected by delays to non-urgent treatment or postponed appointments. If you have an appointment in our hospitals but have not been contacted, please continue to attend your appointment as before. Any postponed procedures or appointments will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
"We are very sorry for those impacted by this and we would like to assure you that, despite the challenges faced and some changes to non-urgent appointments, essential services remain fully open for anyone who needs them so if you require urgent medical help, please continue to come forward.
"We would ask that you also continue to help us where you can by ensuring that you are seeking help from the most appropriate health services, and only attending A&E for serious accidents and emergencies. If you are unwell, visit NHS 111 online for 24/7 advice about the most appropriate care for your need."
Update: Full service resumed as hospital trust ends 'critical incident'
