Major south London hospital declares critical incident

Amid extreme pressure a major south London hospital has declared a critical incident

St George's Hospital in Tooting, which is on the of the country's largest NHS trusts, says their emergency department has become overrun.

The major trauma centre has apologised that they can't provide the level of care that they'd like right now and say they don't want their patients to be waiting for long periods.

They are however telling people to still come to them if they need urgent care but are highlighting alternative ways to get treatment such as pharmacies and GP's.

They say they are "prioritising patients who are most in need of clinical care, which means those who are the sickest or most seriously injured will be seen more quickly."

By declaring a critical incident the trust is able to put extra safeguarding measures in place, can cancel staff training and redeploy staff.

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