Record-breaking attendances in A&E result in critical incident at NUH | Latest news

A critical incident has been declared at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) today,  Tuesday 20 October , due to significant pressures across the hospitals in the last week , some of the highest on record.  

The Trust is currently experiencing significant demand , particularly in A& E , which is resulting in considerable lengthy waits for patients in A&E.  

Why are we in a Critical Incident?  

• In the las t two weeks , we have seen three of the highest attendances on record. In September 2026, there wer e 2,000 more A&E attendances than in September 2025 , causing an ongoing impact to pressures.  

• T here have been particularly high numbers of cardiology patients who require intensive levels of care over prolonged periods of time, diverting resource from other areas .   

• We currently have more than 200 patients in our A&E, with more than 100 waiting to be seen . This is an unacceptable level and increases the risk of harm.  

• We have more than 200 patients in our hospitals who are safe to leave, which is almost eight wards of patients who no longer need to be here.   

• Patients are having unacceptable and lengthy waits on corridors in A&E .  

• Staff are working under extreme pressure.  

Tracy Pilcher, Chief Nurse at NUH, said: “ We are seeing significant pressures across our hospitals and in particular in our A&E department, where we have more than 100 patients waiting to be seen and have seen the highest attendances on record. Not just once, but three times in two weeks.  

“In the last 24 hours staff have been working hard to do everything they can to mitigate the pressures, focusing on getting patients seen and home quickly and safely. Despite this, we still find ourselves in an incredibly difficult position today and have declared a critical incident to protect our patients and support our staff.   

“ We recognise that significant waits to be seen and corridor care is not the way our staff want to work or our patients want to be seen, and for t hat we are very sorry . Please be reassured that we are doing al l we can and hope that the actions we are taking will improve the situation as soon as possible.   

“Getting patients out of the hospital when they are ready is vital to improving our position. We currently have 200 patients in our hospitals who no longer need to be here. If you have a family member in our hospitals who is ready to return home, we would urge you to collect them as so o n as possible. This helps those patients returning home, who will recover better, and those who urgently need our care.”  

What are we doing to address the pressures?  

• We are   creating more capacity for patients who need care,   in order to   support flow through the hospital.        

• Colleagues are being asked   to support us with   additional   shifts to increase our   capacity.  

• Colleagues across our sites are working hard to   identify   opportunities to discharge patients as quickly and safely as possible.    

• The Trust is working closely with system partners to   identify   any opportunities to improve patient flow.        

How you can help:  

• If your relative is due to be discharged from hospital and needs to be collected, please do so as early as possible. This will help our teams and free up a hospital bed for someone waiting to be admitted.  

• Only call 999 or attend ED for serious accidents and for life threatening emergencies.  

• Where the situation is not life-threatening, alternative support will be available through   NHS111 online   or by calling 111.  

• Urgent Treatment Centres (UTC) treat injuries including sprains, strains, suspected fractures, bites, cuts, scalds and other non-emergency conditions. Waiting times are usually much shorter than ED  

• Pharmacies can help with allergies, constipation, headaches and many other ailments, over 200 pharmacies in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire can provide NHS medicines for seven common conditions through the Pharmacy First service. Depending on your age, this includes Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) in women, earache, shingles, sinusitis, impetigo and sore throats. See the website for details.  

• Please do not visit your loved ones in hospital if you have any flu or other respiratory illness symptoms - please wait until you are better to visit them.