Critical incident stood down at NHS hospital

A critical incident declared at a Kent hospital over high numbers of patients needing care has been stood down.

On Tuesday, East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust said William Harvey Hospital in Ashford was struggling to deal with winter illnesses and respiratory viruses, and beds across all its sites were full.

The trust said the number of people going to the emergency department was "extremely high", while it warned it had "limited capacity" for attending to others seeking treatment.

In a statement issued on Friday, the trust said the hospital was "still extremely busy" and urged the public to "continue supporting us by using NHS services wisely and choosing the most appropriate care for your needs".

Those with non-life-threatening conditions are recommended to consider alternatives to attending emergency departments, such as phoning NHS 111 for advice, as well as visiting pharmacies for minor illnesses and GP practices and urgent treatment centres "where appropriate", it added.

The trust – which runs hospitals in Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone and Margate – said it was "working hard to safely discharge patients who no longer need acute hospital care and to care for people in the community, when it is safe to do so, rather than bring them to hospital".

It also offered a "heartfelt thank you" to staff across its hospitals for their hard work.

Earlier this week, the trust had warned of extremely long waits at emergency departments, while urging people only attend A&E for life-threatening illnesses or injuries.

Chief nursing and midwifery officer, Sarah Hayes, said that declaring a critical incident allowed the trust to draw on additional support across the health system.

Hayes added that declaring a critical incident allowed the trust to draw on additional support across the health system.

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