Under-pressure hospitals at highest alert level

An OPEL 4 is the highest alert level a hospital can go to

A hospital trust in Lancashire and South Cumbria has said it is seeing the highest level of pressure on its services.

University Hospitals Morecambe Bay Trust (UHMBT) said it was at Level 4 on the system it uses to grade demand.

Operational Pressures Escalation Level (OPEL) 4 means a hospital is "unable to deliver comprehensive care" and patient safety may be compromised.

But a spokesperson said patients should continue to attend appointments as normal unless contacted.

'Services affected'

The spokesperson said there was "increased pressures across our hospitals" and "patient safety must take priority".

The alert, declared on Monday, is used as a "last resort" and in place when all other escalation measures have been exhausted, the trust said.

The trust said the alert was to make sure "more clinically urgent" cases got the help they needed as quickly as possible.

Problems that might prompt a hospital to declare an OPEL 4 include:

• Having no capacity across the trust

• Facing severe ambulance handover delays

• Emergency care pathways being significantly compromised

• Being unable to offload ambulances within 120 minutes

• Dealing with unexpected reduced staffing numbers

• Experiencing severe capacity pressures on PICU, NICU, and other intensive care and specialist beds

• Patients with infectious illness, norovirus, severe weather, and other pressures

• Issues with support services (IT, transport, facilities, pathology) that cannot be rectified within four hours.

Scott McLean, Chief Operating Officer, Tabetha Darmon, Chief Nursing Officer and Jane McNicholas, Chief Medical Officer, declared the alert and said patients should continue to turn up for their appointment unless they are contacted directly.

In a joint statement they said: "Our teams continue to work exceptionally hard, and we would like to reassure our patients and the public that despite the challenges faced, essential services remain fully open for anyone who needs them so if you require urgent medical help, please continue to come forward."

They urged patients to only attend A&E for serious accidents and emergencies, and to use the NHS 111 service for all other needs.