Salisbury Hospital declares critical incident with ambulance delays and staff sickness

Salisbury District Hospital

Salisbury Hospital has declared a critical incident, saying that it is 'unable to deliver the comprehensive care' it needs to.

An increase in ambulance delays, staff sickness, and the number of patients awaiting to be discharged to another setting, is adding pressure on the hospital.

Andy Hyett, Chief Operating Officer at Salisbury District Hospital said: “We are currently operating at a critical incident level which means we are unable to deliver the comprehensive care that we need to, due to the high volume of patients coming through our doors and the staff shortages we’re experiencing."

People are being encouraged to only attend Accident and Emergency if their condition is life-threatening, such as a heart attack, stroke, sepsis, or a serious injury.

Anyone who attends with a condition that is 'not deteriorating' is being told they are unlikely to be seen for a long time, as staff prioritise those that are extremely ill.

Teams across the hospital have implemented back-up plans to try and resolve some of the issues so that the hospital remains open and safe.

Deputy CEO Lisa Thomas said: "I am grateful to everyone at the hospital who have worked so hard to maintain our services under very difficult circumstances. "I am incredibly sorry for the disruption and would like to thank our community in advance for working with us to try and alleviate some of the pressure that we’re currently experiencing and to patients for their tolerance and understanding."