‘Critical incidents’ declared at hospital and ambulance trusts across the country
Ambulance and hospital trusts across the country have declared critical incidents as a result of “sustained” and “unprecedented” pressure on services.
Declaring a critical incident allows trusts to prioritise the patients most in need and to instigate additional measures to protect patient safety, trusts said.
It comes as nurses were striking for a second day on Tuesday, and as fears grow over the impact of an ambulance strike on Wednesday – when thousands of paramedics, technicians, control room workers and other staff in England and Wales are set to walk out.
The following services have declared critical incidents:
• North East Ambulance Service
• South East Coast Ambulance Service
• East of England Ambulance Service
• Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
• Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s health and care system
• South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
• Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Strikes latest – follow live updates
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham are among those striking
The services said they took their decisions due to pressures including 999 call volumes and hospital handover delays. All the trusts have urged members of the public to call 999 only in the case of a serious medical emergency.
As well as prioritising certain patients, critical incident status allows trusts to call off training sessions and bookings for non-emergency transportation, and call on other providers for help.
What have the different trusts said?
North East Ambulance Service, which operates across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Darlington and Teesside, said the decision was made there as a result of “significant delays for more than 200 patients waiting for an ambulance, together with a reduction in ambulance crew availability to respond because of delays in handing over patients at the region’s hospitals”.
Chief operating officer Stephen Segasby said: “Our service is under unprecedented pressure. Declaring a critical incident means we can focus our resources on those patients most in need and communicates the pressures we are under to our health system partners who can provide support.”
He said the trust had been operating at “its highest level of operational alert since 5 December”.
South East Coast Ambulance Service, which covers Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Surrey and North East Hampshire, said it had experienced “more than a week of sustained pressure across our 999 and 111 services, significantly impacting on our ability to respond to patients”.
A spokesperson said the situation would be kept under close review.
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The East of England Ambulance Service, which works in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, said NHS services in the region “are currently under huge pressure”, while London Ambulance Service also said its 999 and 111 services “remain extremely busy” and it would be prioritising the “sickest and most severely injured patients”.
Ambulances could be seen queuing outside Lister Hospital in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, on Tuesday.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said some appointments would be rescheduled. Medical director Dr Keith Girling said staff were working “tirelessly” to deal with a “large number of people with illnesses arriving in emergency departments seeking assistance”.
Dr Girling continued: “We regret that this will impact patients who were due to receive planned care over the next few days and sincerely apologise to all those affected.”
A spokesperson for the hospital reassured patients that these appointments “will be rescheduled as soon as possible.”
Their statement added: “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.”
In a statement, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, which covers health services across Portsmouth and South East Hampshire, said “demand for an emergency response is far outstripping the capacity available… at this time”.
It continued: “There are significant and unacceptable delays currently and we apologise for this. We are doing everything in our power to meet the current demand. Our capacity will only be used for life-threatening conditions or injuries.”
Ambulance workers set to stage strikes
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Nurse: ‘We’re committed to continue strikes’
Thousands of nurses are staging a second walkout today, while ambulance workers who are GMB union members are striking on Wednesday. Both are calling for better pay, working conditions and improved conditions for patients.
The government has announced controversial plans to deploy more than 1,000 civil servants and 1,200 troops to cover striking ambulance workers and Border Force staff, who are preparing to walk out for eight days from 23 December until New Year’s Eve.
Unions branded the move a “desperate measure” and warned the servicemen and women are not “sufficiently trained” to plug staffing gaps on the front line.
During the ambulance strike, military personnel will not drive ambulances on blue lights for the most serious calls, but are expected to provide support on less serious calls.
Negotiations over which incidents should be exempt from strike action
Unions and ambulance services are still negotiating to work out which incidents should be exempt from strike action.
All Category 1 calls (the most life-threatening, such as cardiac arrest) will be responded to, while some ambulance trusts have agreed exemptions with unions for specific incidents within Category 2 (serious conditions, such as stroke or chest pain).
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It means those who suffer trips, falls or other non-life-threatening injuries may not receive treatment.
The London Ambulance Service has said that “patients whose conditions are not life-threatening are unlikely to get an ambulance on industrial action days”.
GMB members are set to stage a second ambulance worker walkout on 28 December.
Rachel Harrison, a national secretary at the GMB trade union, has told MPs that unless the health secretary is willing to talk about pay, ambulance strikes will go ahead.
Wes Streeting has defended plans to make over 70s take compulsory eye tests every three years – which could see them banned from driving if they fail, it is understood.
Ministers are considering “tougher” measures to tackle road deaths and injuries in England and Wales, which they believe have “remained stubbornly high under successive Conservative governments”.
Under the new proposals, first reported by The Times, the drink-drive limit would be lowered to match the current rules in Scotland.
Currently, the drink-drive limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath in England and Wales, or 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
But this is expected to be lowered to 22 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath or 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, to match the stricter levels already enforced in Scotland.
Those caught not wearing a seatbelt could also receive penalty points for the first time, while drivers found on the road without insurance could also face more severe consequences.
As well as this, plans are currently being drawn up to make those aged 70 or over take a compulsory eye test every three years when they renew their driving licence.
Those who fail this would lose their right to drive under the proposals. It’s understood that tests for other conditions, such as dementia, are also being considered.
Speaking on Monday, Mr Streeting said the transport secretary is consulting and “considering a whole range of proposals”, which will be unveiled in the “not too distant future”.
It is understood that Heidi Alexander will unveil the measures in a new road safety strategy in the autumn.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to introduce the changes as part of the government’s road safety strategy in the autumn.
Pic: Reuters
The health secretary also defended the plans around elderly drivers.
He told broadcasters: “It cannot be right that we’ve ended up in a situation where the NHS is hit with a £2 billion a year bill because we are not taking road safety seriously enough – particularly as we get older and the quality of our eye health deteriorates, that we’re not keeping a regular check.”
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A Labour source said: “At the end of the last Labour government, the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads was at a record low, but numbers have remained stubbornly high under successive Conservative governments.
“In no other circumstance would we accept 1,600 people dying, with thousands more seriously injured, costing the NHS more than £2bn per year.
“This Labour government will deliver the first Road Safety Strategy in a decade, imposing tougher penalties on those breaking the law, protecting road users and restoring order to our roads.”
It comes after 1,633 people died in road traffic accidents in 2024, with nearly 28,000 victims seriously injured.
An amber heat health alert has been issued for large parts of England.
The amber alert – described as an “enhanced hot weather response” – covers East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, and the South East.
The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), is due to be in place from 9am on Tuesday, until 6pm on Wednesday.
Explainer: What is a heat-health alert?
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued alerts across England
The UKHSA, a government agency for England, warned “significant impacts are likely” across health and social care services due to the high temperatures.
Parts of the country are facing a fourth heatwave of the summer, where highs pass a threshold on three consecutive days.
A yellow alert, also between 9am on Tuesday until 6pm on Wednesday, covers the North East, North West, Yorkshire, The Humber, and the South West.
Check the weather forecast where you are
Dr Paul Coleman, consultant in public health at UKHSA, said temperatures are forecast to rise above 30C (86F) across some areas which “can result in serious health outcomes” particularly for the elderly or those with serious health conditions.
“If you have friends, family or neighbours who are vulnerable, it is important to ensure they are aware of the forecasts and are following the necessary advice.
“Check in on them if you can to make sure they know that hot weather is on the way and how to keep themselves safe,” Dr Coleman said.
Temperatures could peak in the low 30s on Tuesday, with a small chance of hitting 35C (95F)
Sky News meteorologist Christopher England said the high pressure that brought the warmth of the last few days via the “heat dome” effect is moving east, as low pressure moves in towards the west.
“On Tuesday, southern Britain can expect temperatures widely into the low 30s… perhaps exceeding 35C (95F) in places,” he said.
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Drought in England explained
On 1 July, the UK recorded its hottest day of the year so far with a temperature of 34.7C (94.4F) recorded at St James’s Park in central London.
The Met Office’s criteria for a heatwave are met when temperatures are above a certain level for three consecutive days. This threshold varies from 25C to 28C (77F to 82F) depending on the location.
People enjoying the hot weather in North Shields in June. Pic: PA
Mr England added: “There’s around a 10% chance Wales may exceed its August peak temperature of 35.2C (95.3F) recorded at Hawarden on 2 August 1990.
“Expect some tropical nights too, with temperatures holding above 20C (68F).”
In July, the Met Office warned Britain’s climate is changing rapidly, with records regularly being smashed and extremes of heat and rainfall becoming the norm.
Read more from Sky News:
Tips for staying cool in bed
Could this be the UK’s hottest year?
How does sunscreen protect us?
The UKHSA has issued advice for keeping cool:
• close windows and curtains in rooms that face the sun
• seek shade and cover up outside
• use sunscreen, wear a hat and sunglasses
• keep out of the sun at the hottest times, between 11am and 3pm
• restrict physical activity to the cooler mornings or evenings
• know how to respond to heat exhaustion and heatstroke
Around 30 residents have been evacuated from their homes in north London after a water main burst, leaving roads under 44cm (17in) of water.
Seventy firefighters were dispatched by London Fire Brigade to the area around Canonbury Street in Islington just after 10pm on Sunday.
People have been urged to avoid the area including Essex Road, Elmore Street, Halliford Street and Ecclesbourne Road – and warned against driving through floodwater.
Canonbury Street in Islington experienced significant flooding. Pic: London Fire Brigade
Fire crews used flood barriers and sandbags to divert floodwater away from homes as they warned disruption was likely to continue into Monday afternoon.
Islington council also warned at 9am on Monday that Canonbury Street was closed from Essex Road up to Arran Walk.
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We have now managed to stop the flow of water and ensure that the site is safe. We have also been able to move parked cars which were over another critical water main.
“We have a specialist team on site for those impacted by the incident, at Cedar Place on Essex Road, and are supporting customers who have been affected.
“To keep the public and our team safe, we’ve arranged equipment to help manage the traffic while we work in the road. We are sorry for the impact this may have on traffic in the area.”
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