NHS in Cornwall declares critical incident due to 'sustained pressure' on hospital
The NHS in Cornwall has declared a critical incident and issued an urgent warning to residents due to "sustained pressure" on the Royal Cornwall Hospital.
The incident was announced on 3 January, following continuous pressure on the hospital's accident and emergency department (A&E) throughout the week, which saw a high number of ambulances left waiting outside.
It allows the NHS to take "additional, immediate steps to create capacity, discharge patients, relieve pressure on [the] emergency department and release ambulances and their crews", according to NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (ICB).
It comes after health bosses warned freezing temperatures at the beginning of January could put additional strain on the NHS, with a four-fold increase in people being admitted for flu nationally.
Kate Shields, the ICB's chief executive, said: "We are currently seeing a high number of ambulances waiting outside the Royal Cornwall Hospital and of patients in our emergency department.
"There are also a large number of patients in Cornwall’s hospitals who are medically fit to be discharged but are awaiting the right care.
"We urgently need the public’s support to make sure we can see those who are sickest and have the greatest need.
"Please only come to the emergency department if you have a life or limb-threatening emergency. Other NHS services are available, and we encourage you to use them whenever possible. These include our network of minor injury units, our urgent treatment centre at West Cornwall Hospital, out-of-hours GP services, local pharmacies and NHS 111."
People in Cornwall are also being asked to help support the NHS by offering to support someone who is currently unable to leave hospital as they are waiting for home care.
Anybody who thinks they may be able to support their friend, family or neighbour by temporarily taking them in is being urged to get in touch.
Kate Shields said: "Fast access one-off grants are available, to use towards paying for care, expenses or equipment to help you get a relative or friend home from hospital. If you could support someone in your home, or in their own home, with a little extra help, please speak to the nurse in charge on the ward.
“Getting someone home a day or two sooner will mean we can free up a vital hospital bed for someone else in urgent need – please help us if you can."
Tamsyn Anderson, chief operating officer for Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The system has declared a critical incident and what that means is that we're experiencing really high levels of demand, so we're seeing more people admitted to the acute hospital with acute medical and surgical needs than we're able to discharge.
"So we need to do everything as a system to be able to make sure that everybody that has the acute medical needs can get access to the services that they needs."
Andrew George, the Liberal Democrat MP for West Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly has said the critical incident is the result of a "decade of underinvestment" in the hospital.
Mr George said: "You have a set of circumstances where you have north of 95% bed occupancy even during peacetime. And so when you get winter crisis like this, it's inevitable that the system fails and that can be predicted and therefore what we need is investment in the capacity of that hospital.”
He added that Cornwall's NHS is also additionally stretched due to the geography of the Duchy.
Mr George said: “The problem for the geography of Cornwall issue, of course, you can't call on support services from the north or the south to the west, and so if those who live at Land's End and the Isles of Scilly in the far west in my constituency, there's 100 miles of only just one hospital, which they're dependent upon and when that hospital is struggling, I mean, clearly it exposes the frailty of the service."
Debbie Gilbert, CEO, of Healthwatch Cornwall said she does not believe that extra funding will solve the issue within the NHS in Cornwall.
"But funding is critical and capacity is a big issue", she added.
"We just don't have the capacity, but this is definitely not the first time we’re hearing this. We knew winter was coming, there have been plans.
"But I think this is the most responsible thing that the NHS could have done, is to declare the system critical incident because it tells people, 'look, we're at a breaking point and only come here if you have to', but there is help out there. There is definitely help out there to your pharmacies through 111," she said.
The NHS in Cornwall has issued advice for those with a medical issue:
Those with flu, norovirus or coronavirus should not attend hospital or a minor injury unit, but should use the NHS 111 online service first - in order to avoid spreading their illness to others
Those with things like allergies, minor eye and ear infections or in need of emergency contraception should visit their local pharmacist
People with a cut or a wound that needs a stitch, patients with a broken bone or anybody who believes they need an x-ray should not attend hospital, but should visit one of Cornwall's ten minor injury units - and no appointment is needed
Anybody who believes they needs urgent care should call 111 or use the online NHS 111 service
Any concerns around mental health should be directed to Cornwall's around-the-clock mental health helpine, which can be called for free on 0800 038 5300
Cornish residents and visitors are being reminded that they should only call 999 or visit the Royal Cornwall Hospital's emergency department if their "illness or injury is life-threatening". This includes chest pain, trouble breathing, severe bleeding, stroke and loss of consciousness.