Four NHS trusts in England declare critical incidents after ‘surge’ in A&E admissions

Hospital trusts in Surrey and Kent say situation has been worsened by rise in flu and norovirus cases

Four NHS hospital trusts in England have declared critical incidents after a “surge” in A&E admissions driven in large part by patients with flu, norovirus and respiratory viruses.

Three trusts in Surrey and one in Kent sounded the alarm after a “surge in complex attendances to A&E departments”.

A critical incident, which is usually declared when A&E departments are not able to necessarily deliver all of their services safely, is the highest alert level used by the NHS and allows bosses to take immediate steps to create capacity.

NHS Surrey Heartlands said the situation at three hospital trusts – Royal Surrey NHS foundation trust, Epsom and St Helier university hospitals NHS trust and Surrey and Sussex healthcare NHS trust – was “exacerbated by increases in flu and norovirus cases and an increase in staff sickness”.