Support our staff and help ease pressure on your local hospitals | Latest news

Update - Tuesday 3 January 2023
The local healthcare system in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire continues to face sustained pressures and we remain in a critical incident.

Our staff are working tirelessly to care for patients, but the demand on our services is causing very long waits for patients to be seen in our Emergency Department (ED) and then to be admitted to a ward. This is causing overcrowding in our ED.

• There are more than 118 people in ED at QMC with 60 patients waiting to be admitted to a ward.
• More than 196 patients in our hospitals have been medically fit to be discharged for more than 24 hours and are waiting to be discharged.
• We are caring for 165 patients with flu and a further 137 patients with COVID on our wards

Our emergency services remain open and you should continue to come forward as normal in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk. Our aim is to prioritise patients with the highest level of need and ensure that we continue to manage emergency care.

We continue to ask that 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.

What you can do to 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 A&E departments 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 A&E. UTCs are available at:
  • Nottingham - The NHS Urgent Care Centre (next to the BBC building) is open every day from 7am-7pm. You don’t need an appointment to attend.
  • Newark – Newark Hospital is open 9am-10pm (last patient admitted at 9.30pm). It can be found on Boundary Road, NG24 4DE
  • Ilkeston Community Hospital – is open 8am-8pm. It can be found on Heanor Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8LN. You can book into this service via 111.

• Flu and Covid-19 are currently circulating in the community, so stay at home if you have symptom and get your jabs if you are eligible. More details about how to get your flu and Covid-19 jab can be found here and here 
• Pharmacies can help with allergies, constipation, headaches, earaches and many other ailments. Many pharmacies are open and you can find opening hours for your local pharmacy here
• 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.  

 

Update - Friday 30 December 2022
The local healthcare system in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire continues to face sustained pressures and we remain in a critical incident.

Our staff are working tirelessly to care for patients, but the demand on our services is causing very long waits for patients to be seen in our Emergency Department (ED) and then to be admitted to a ward. This is causing overcrowding in our ED.

• There are more than 186 people in ED at QMC with 88 patients waiting to be admitted to a ward.
• More than 160 patients in our hospitals have been medically fit to be discharged for more than 24 hours and are waiting to be discharged.
• We are caring for 163 patients with flu and a further 115 patients with COVID on our wards

Our emergency services remain open and you should continue to come forward as normal in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk. Our aim is to prioritise patients with the highest level of need and ensure that we continue to manage emergency care.

We continue to ask that 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.

Michelle Rhodes, Chief Nurse said: “With the extreme demand on our beds, it is vital that patients can leave hospital safely and quickly when they are medically fit to be discharged. This is not only beneficial for the individual, but means that we can transfer a patient from our Emergency Department to one of our wards, reducing waiting times and overcrowding.

“Friends and family play an important role in helping get patients home where their recovery can continue more quickly in their own surroundings. Please speak to our ward teams about how you can help and support an earlier discharge for your relative or loved one. Every hour matters and you will be helping us care for people who urgently require our care.”

What you can do to 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 A&E departments 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 A&E. UTCs are available at:
  • Nottingham - The NHS Urgent Care Centre (next to the BBC building) is open every day from 7am-7pm. You don’t need an appointment to attend.
  • Newark – Newark Hospital is open 9am-10pm (last patient admitted at 9.30pm). It can be found on Boundary Road, NG24 4DE
  • Ilkeston Community Hospital – is open 8am-8pm. It can be found on Heanor Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8LN. You can book into this service via 111.

• Flu and Covid-19 are currently circulating in the community, so stay at home if you have symptom and get your jabs if you are eligible. More details about how to get your flu and Covid-19 jab can be found here and here 
• Pharmacies can help with allergies, constipation, headaches, earaches and many other ailments. Many pharmacies are open and you can find opening hours for your local pharmacy here
• 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.  

 

Thursday 29 December 2022
We are asking our local communities to help ease pressures on our hospitals and support us to safely discharge patients home and free up beds across our hospitals.

Today (29 December), we have declared a critical incident due to the large number of very poorly people arriving at our Emergency Department (ED) who need to be admitted to our hospitals suffering with respiratory conditions.

This demand is causing very long waits for patients to be seen and long waits to be admitted to a ward, causing overcrowding in our ED.

• There are more than 220 people in ED at QMC with more than 70 patients waiting to be admitted to a ward
• More than 160 patients in our hospitals have been medically fit to be discharged for more than 24 hours and are waiting to be discharged
• We are caring for 173 patients with flu and a further 122 patients with COVID on our wards

In addition the health and care system in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire has declared a critical incident, affecting health services across the city and county, including Sherwood Forest Hospitals. 

We are taking additional steps to prioritise and maintain safe services for patients. Our aim is to prioritise patients with the highest level of need and ensure that we continue to be able to manage emergency care.

Our teams are continuing to work exceptionally hard and we would like to reassure the public that despite the challenges faced, our emergency services remain open and you should continue to come forward as normal in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

What you can do to 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 A&E departments 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
• Pharmacies can offer over the counter advice and treat common illnesses such as colds, sore throats, stings and allergies.

Dr Keith Girling, Medical Director at NUH, said: “Our staff are working tirelessly to get patients home safely and in a timely manner. With the busy holiday period, often families aren’t ready or prepared for their loved one to come home and we are asking for their support to help our discharge teams get those patients who are medically fit back home as soon as possible. There are some really simple things that can help, like collecting your relatives as soon as possible, setting up a bedroom in their home or going to their house to stock the fridge and pop the heating on.”