Healthcare services in Norfolk and Waveney declare 'critical incident' amid Covid-19 pressures
It's as local hospitals see large numbers of people needing urgent care.
Last updated 5th Jan 2022
The health and care system in Norfolk and Waveney, which includes local hospitals, the ambulance service and local GP surgeries, has declared a 'critical incident'.
It means local healthcare services are facing a level of disruption that risks leaving patients without critical care and may need outside support to keep going.
Doctors across the county are under extreme pressure due to staff shortages and rising patient numbers, caused by the surge in the number of Omicron cases of Covid-19.
Cath Byford, Chief Nurse at NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group said: “We can confirm that in Norfolk and Waveney the health and care system has declared a critical incident.
"Health and care services are under unprecedented pressure and we are working closely with our system partners and colleagues to keep services running and to create extra capacity to deal with the rise in demand for services.
"We are seeing large numbers of very unwell people requiring 999 ambulance services and urgent hospital care.
"There are also ongoing challenges in discharging patients who are well enough to leave hospital, and we are seeing an increase in staff sickness - all of which leads to longer waits than we would like for patients to be seen and admitted.
"Because of these pressures, the health and care system in Norfolk and Waveney has declared a critical incident. This allows us to be able to take additional steps to maintain safe services for our patients and help us cope with the growing pressures.
"Key actions include creating additional bed capacity in our hospitals and in the community, continuing to support the safe and timely discharge of people who no longer need to stay in hospital, providing additional support to care homes to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and redeploying staff where help is needed most.
"Patient safety must take priority and we need to take action to make sure that those who are more clinically urgent get the help they need as quickly as possible.
"This means that many patients in less urgent need of care may have to wait longer than we would like. We apologise to those patients and ask for their understanding during this time of exceptional pressures."