'Critical incident' at Black Country hospital stood down thanks to 'incredible' staff effort
A "critical incident" declared at a Black Country hospital trust has been stood down due to the "incredible efforts" of staff, health chiefs have said.
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs Sandwell General Hospital and Birmingham City Hospital, declared the critical incident on Wednesday.
It was due to immense pressure on services and exceptionally high numbers of patients waiting in A&E departments across the two hospitals – and came after the same declaration was made on December 20 which was later eased.
The recent incident was stood down on Thursday, with people continuing to be urged to stay at home if they have the flu, instead of going to A&E.
Mel Roberts, the trust's chief nursing officer, said: "We were able to stand down our critical incident status (on Thursday). This is thanks to the incredible efforts of colleagues who worked tirelessly to provide the best care possible under challenging circumstances over the last 24 hours.
“Our focus remains on continuing to safely manage the flow of patients within our hospitals and helping those that need emergency care in our A&E departments. We continue to see an increased number of people with flu coming to A&E and I want to stress the importance of having the flu vaccination which will better protect you against the virus.
“However, we advise that if you do have the flu, manage it at home taking care not to spread it to friends and family. A pharmacist can give treatment advice and recommend flu remedies, and if you need further advice on when to come to hospital, please contact NHS 111 online.”
