Critical incident at Basingstoke & north Hampshire hospital

Hampshire Hospitals has declared a critical incident due to sustained pressures at their Basingstoke and Winchester hospitals.

They say the decision has not been taken lightly; however, beds across both hospitals are full and attendance at their emergency departments is extremely high, which means there is currently no capacity to admit further patients needing care.

And they say attending their emergency departments for non-life-threatening conditions will mean an extremely long wait.

The trust said:

"As part of the critical incident response we will be looking for support across the health system to discharge patients who no longer require acute care, and limit the number that need to come to the acute hospital.

"We are doing all we can to increase capacity for urgent emergency care in our hospitals, unfortunately this means some elective care may have to be cancelled. This is frustrating; however, we appreciate the patience and support of anyone affected. "

How you can help

Only attend the emergency department for a life-threatening illness or injury.

If a friend or loved one is ready for discharge, please help by collecting them at the earliest opportunity.

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