People urged to save hospitals for most vulnerable

A critical incident was declared by the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board on Friday

People in Cornwall should go to pharmacies, GP practices and minor injury units for non-serious illnesses to keep hospitals available for those who need it most, local NHS bosses say.

A critical incident was declared on Friday by the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board due to a period of "sustained pressure" on services.

Health bosses asked people with winter viruses such as flu, Covid, norovirus or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to stay away from the Royal Cornwall Hospital's A&E department near Truro.

Dr Chris Reid, chief medical officer for NHS Cornwall, said the number of flu cases in the county was "higher than expected" and had put extra pressure on services.

'Working tirelessly'

A system critical incident is called in the NHS when health and care services are so busy that special measures are needed to restore normal operations and to keep people safe.

NHS Cornwall thanked residents for their ongoing support and said staff were "working tirelessly" to provide care.

It said it had received about four times as many hospital inpatients with flu compared to the same time in 2024.

The service said it was working with local GP practices and more than 800 extra appointments would be available this week.

'Ensure staff remain fit'

Dr Reid said there had been a spike in flu cases, with the number currently being dealt with by the trust being almost four times higher than the same time last year.

"We were expecting to see a surge in cases, but this is higher than we expected which is why we felt we had to take the additional measures," he said.

Dr Reid added hospital staff were wearing face masks in A&E as an extra precaution to help stop viruses spreading.

He said: "The specific reasons for wearing masks in hospital is staff are working in close proximity and dealing with people who are ill and have these bugs.

"We want to ensure our staff remain fit and well, so the reason for wearing masks in the emergency department is clear."

'Get seen quickly'

Tamsyn Anderson, chief operating officer for Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said one of the main concerns for the trust was making sure ambulances were able to get out to patients who needed them in an emergency situation.

She said: "We know that when our hospital experiences very high demand; we can see ambulances waiting for quite a long time in order to get people through and into the hospital.

"Our main concern at the moment is making sure we can get people seen quickly in our hospital so our ambulances can get back on the road to look after people in emergencies when they need it."

Tamsyn Anderson, chief operating officer for Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said there was high demand on services in the county

She added there was a lot of cases involving a "quademic" of winter viruses - flu, Covid, norovirus and RSV - which were having an impact on services.

Ms Anderson said while all of these could make people unwell, the best thing for patients to do was to make sure they had the right medicine and stay at home rather than come into A&E.

"These viruses have symptoms that will settle down by themselves for most people who are usually fit and well," she said.