A number of hospitals in our region have already taken the emergency measure as the A&E crisis deepens
14:54, 09 Jan 2025Updated 14:54, 09 Jan 2025
Ambulances outside Whiston Hospital (Image: Liverpool Echo)
Another Merseyside hospital has declared a critical incident as the crisis in Accident and Emergency continues to grip the region. Today, Whiston Hospital became the latest to make the emergency announcement, joining the Royal Liverpool and Arrowe Park in Wirral who have all made such declarations this week.
Whiston, which is run by the Mersey West Lancs NHS Trust, has been battling soaring numbers of people coming through its doors, many of them suffering as part of a record flu season. The ECHO previously reported that one 88-year-old woman had waited for 18 hours in the back of five different ambulances outside the hospital before making it inside.
Today, the hospital has taken the urgent measure of declaring a critical incident. This means a hospital is experiencing the level of disruption results in the organisation losing its ability to deliver critical services, patients may have been harmed or the environment is not safe, requiring special measures and support from other agencies to restore normal operating functions.
Whiston’s decision to declare a critical incident follows the same action being taken in recent days by both The Royal Liverpool Hospital and the trust which runs Arrowe Park in the Wirral – which has declared two such incidents within a week.
In a statement released this week, The University of Liverpool Hospitals Group said: “A spokesperson for the University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, which oversees the running of the Royal, said: “Given the exceptionally high demands on our emergency department, especially with flu and respiratory illnesses, and the number of patients we have taken this action to support the safe care and treatment of our patients, which is our absolute priority.
“We have a comprehensive plan in place and are taking all the necessary actions to manage the challenging circumstances facing patients and colleagues currently. We are working with partner organisations to ensure those that are medically fit can leave hospital safely and at the earliest opportunity.”
An email sent to Wirral University Hospitals staff just after 1pm on January 8 by the trust which manages Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge Hospitals said: “Staff are advised that due to unprecedented demand for our urgent and emergency services, the trust has today declared a critical incident.
“Similar to the situation last week, the high demand has culminated in significant volumes of patients requiring admission, the levels of which require the Trust to declare a critical incident to maintain patient safety. We have robust plans in place to maintain safety of our patients and we appreciate the huge amount of support from staff at this time.”
The ECHO has approached the Mersey West Lancs NHS Trust for a response about the situation at Whiston Hospital.