Nottingham Hospitals Beg Families: Rush to Collect Patients Amid NHS Crisis
Critical Incident Declared as Hospitals Buckle Under Overcrowding
Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), one of the UK’s largest NHS trusts, has hit breaking point. Chiefs are pleading with families and carers to leave work early and collect patients. Their urgent goal? Clear 200 beds by this Friday to ease a severe critical incident.
The hospitals are groaning under “unacceptable and lengthy waits” with patients stuck in corridors. Many who could safely go home remain bed-bound, clogging Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham City Hospital, and Ropewalk House.
Andrew Hall, NUH COO: “We have been working tirelessly all week to mitigate the pressures we are currently seeing, but this has not had the desired impact, and so declaring a critical incident is necessary to protect patient safety.”
Respiratory Illness Surge Pushes A&E to Breaking Point
- Spike in respiratory cases flooding A&E departments
- More than half the adult beds filled by patients over 80 needing longer care
- Staff pulling extra shifts amid extreme pressure to free up beds
Hall has urged the public to “consider carefully whether or not you need to attend A&E” as the NHS battles soaring demand and critical staff shortages.
Second Critical Incident in Just Two Months
This is NUH’s second critical incident since January, when winter infections and staff absences first plunged the trust into crisis. With over 19,000 staff, NUH is Nottinghamshire’s largest employer, meaning this chaos affects thousands of patients across multiple hospitals.
