Critical incident lifted at Dudley hospital

Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley declared a critical incident on Monday over a bed shortage

A critical incident which was declared at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley has been lifted.

The alert was issued by the NHS trust running the hospital on Monday because of a shortage of beds.

Staff were told at the time to discharge any patients not receiving medical intervention and prioritise those with the highest level of need.

On Tuesday, Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust said it could confirm pressures at the hospital were easing.

Diane Wake, chief executive of the trust, said NHS staff and care partners have continued to work "tirelessly" to maintain services and keep patients safe.

She said their main focus was to provide urgent or emergency care for patients or those receiving inpatient care.

"We are grateful to everyone who has taken steps to help relieve the pressure and we would like to thank our incredible teams across the health and social care sector for their efforts," she said.

"However, we are still seeing significant demand upon all our services across the trust including a high number of patients waiting for treatment in our emergency department."

Members of the public were told to use hospital services "wisely" while essential services remained fully open for anyone who needed urgent medical help, the trust added.