Full Breakdown
Critical Incident Declared as Nottingham A&E Departments Face Record Demand
By Drooid · · How we work
Scale of the Surge
Over the past two weeks, Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS trust reported three of the highest A&E attendances on record. More than 200 patients were present in the emergency departments, with over 100 waiting to be seen. In September, the trust noted an increase of 2,000 attendances compared with September 2025, a rise that has placed sustained pressure on services. An update on Tuesday evening indicated that more than 247 patients had been safely discharged.
Official Response from Nottingham University Hospitals
NUH declared a critical incident to prompt careful use of emergency services. Chief nurse Tracy Pilcher emphasized the trust’s efforts to mitigate the pressures, stating: “We recognise that significant waits to be seen and corridor care is not the way our staff want to work or our patients want to be seen, and for that we are very sorry.” — Tracy Pilcher, chief The trust urged the public to call 999 or attend A&E only for serious accidents and life-threatening emergencies, directing non-urgent cases to urgent treatment centres capable of handling sprains, suspected fractures, bites, cuts, scalds and other minor injuries. Sherwood Forest NHS Foundation Trust echoed the call, describing the emergency department at King's Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield as “busy” and asking patients to consider alternative treatment options where possible.
Impact on Local Services
Staff have been working to move patients out of the hospitals when they are ready, a step seen as vital to improving capacity. The trust also reported that more than 200 patients were safe to leave, urging families to collect relatives promptly.
Next Steps and Public Guidance
NUH continues to monitor the situation, with the critical incident status intended to encourage the public to use urgent treatment centres for non-emergency conditions. The trust reassured that actions are being taken to improve the situation as soon as possible and highlighted the importance of discharging patients who are ready to leave to alleviate pressure on the emergency departments.