NHS declares critical incidents as flu cases rise

Hospitals in the West are experiencing critical incidents due to high levels of flu and norovirus.

Services are "extremely busy" at hospitals in Gloucestershire, Yeovil and Taunton.

Long A&E waits have been reported at Salisbury District Hospital where one man claims he was left waiting hours with no pain medication. The hospital has been approached for comment.

It comes as new NHS data shows the number of patients waiting longer than four hours at A+E in all hospitals in Bristol, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire is up on last year.

Ambulances were queued outside Gloucestershire Royal Hospital earlier in the week

A critical incident allows health bosses to take immediate steps to create capacity, help discharge patients and relieve pressure on emergency departments.

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital has experienced a surge in demand recently, with dozens of ambulances pictured several times queuing outside A&E over the past seven days.

Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram, chief medical officer at NHS Gloucestershire, said: "The two emergency departments in Gloucester and Cheltenham are extremely busy, but all health services are dealing with very high levels of need.

"We are asking the public for their continued support over this period by only accessing the emergency departments if it's a life-threatening condition or serious injury and to continue to use services responsibly."

Yeovil District Hospital and Musgrove Hospital in Taunton are also experiencing critical incidents, the trust confirmed to the BBC on Thursday, citing general pressures on its A+E department and a rise in respiratory illnesses.

"Colleagues and teams from across the trust have been working exceptionally hard to see and treat our patients as quickly as possible during times of huge demand," a spokesperson from the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust said.

"We are also working closely with our health and care partners to ensure that patients who are ready to leave hospital can be discharged, at the earliest opportunity."

Tyler says he limits his trips to A+E even if he needs help

In Wiltshire, one man who has a number of health conditions says he now limits his trips to A+E, even if he needs help, because of the pressures the NHS are facing.

Tyler Foyle, 25, from Amesbury, has hypermobility spectrum disorder, which causes pain and stiffness in joints and means he has to attend hospital frequently.

"On my most recent trip to A&E at Salisbury Hospital I spent four hours waiting to be seen without any pain medication," he told the BBC.

"I was crouched in agony with nurses just walking past.

"I understand the stress on the NHS, so I've been trying to limit how often I go to A&E, even if I need help, as I don't want to add to the pressures they're facing."

The BBC has approached the Salisbury NHS Trust for comment.

Long waits

Figures published by the NHS today show the number of patients waiting longer than four hours at has increased at all hospital trusts across the west.

In December 2024, 1,598 more patients in Somerset were waiting longer than four hours for emergency care, compared to December 2023.

Data also shows the average ambulance handover times for each hospital trust varies dramatically. It is a 21-minute wait at Salisbury District Hospital, compared to two hours and 32 minutes at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

And there were 55 patients in hospital with flu in Somerset last week, figures show, and 44 in north Bristol. It comes as hospital bosses have urged patients, staff and visitors to wear surgical face masks to combat a surge in flu.