Critical incidents at hospitals over high attendance
Getty ImagesAn NHS trust has declared a critical incident at two of its hospitals due to "extreme and sustained pressures".
In a Facebook post, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the emergency departments at Winchester and Basingstoke hospitals were seeing "very high attendances", impacting their capacity and ability to admit further patients.
The trust said it would continue to prioritise patients with the highest level of need but those with non-life threatening conditions would currently face "a very long wait".
It appealed to the public to collect discharged patients as early as possible and only contact their emergency department for a life-threatening illness or injury.
The trust said declaring a critical incident helped with adapting services and implementing additional actions to protect patient safety, such as enabling patients to recover "in the most suitable non-acute hospital setting for their needs".
It said it had seen "extremely high attendance..., a high admission rate and a low discharge rate" for some weeks.
The trust also asked the public to seek advice from a GP, pharmacy, urgent treatment centre or NHS 111 for non life-threatening medical assistance.
Dr Nick Ward, deputy chief medical officer, said declaring a critical incident in early summer was "extremely unusual".
"However, it reflects the unprecedented attendance at our Emergency Departments as well as a high number of inpatients," he added.
A critical incident in the two hospitals was declared in January 2025 due to an influx of patients suffering from winter viruses.
The trust said people should attend procedures or appointments as planned, unless they are contacted to reschedule.
MP for Eastleigh Liz Jarvis called the news "concerning" but added she had "every confidence" the doctors, nurses and staff would be working as hard as possible to improve the situation.
"I would encourage people in my constituency to follow the advice sent out by the Trust, and you can find out more information about the latest situation on their website," she said.
