Herefordshire NHS Trust declares critical incident

An NHS Trust has declared a critical incident due to a high rise in demand on its services.

Wye Valley NHS Trust, which runs Hereford County Hospital, announced the decision on Tuesday stating that there has been an "extremely high level of bed occupancy".

Some non-urgent operations and appointments will be postponed and members of the public have been urged to only use the Accident and Emergency department for serious incidents and emergencies.

Cancer and urgent treatment will continue to be prioritised, the Trust has said.

The Trust also provides healthcare services at community hospitals in Ross-on-Wye, Leominster and Bromyard.

"We are extremely busy and have seen a significant rise in demand for our services. A&E attendances are increasing and we face challenges discharging patients well enough to go home," a spokesperson for the Trust said.

They added: "Despite doing all we can to free up capacity, it has become clear we need to prioritise what services we are safely able to deliver at this critical time.

"On that basis, we have declared an Internal Critical Incident.

"This allows us to take additional steps to maintain safe services for patients and helps us cope with the growing pressures."

Anyone who feels unwell has been advised to visit NHS 111 online or get medical advice from a local pharmacy.

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