Torbay Hospital facing 'high level of demand'

The hospital said it was facing infection control issues and has declared itself at critical incident

A hospital in Devon, which declared itself at critical incident last week, is facing a "high level of demand".

Torbay Hospital said it was facing infection control issues and asked people not to come in if they had diarrhoea or vomiting.

Chief Operating Officer Arun Chandran said "very sick patients" had been attending the emergency department.

"We're doing everything we can to get them seen and treated quicker," he said.

"More importantly, we also have been seeing the impact of viral infections, especially norovirus and we're also seeing Covid-19."

Staff go 'over and beyond'

Mr Chandran said the hospital was trying to get patients discharged more quickly and, where possible, into care closer to home by working with community services.

He said the hospital, although at critical level, was still open for emergencies and critical illnesses.

"If it's not an emergency or a critical illness, I would really encourage the public to use the right services that are right for them, whether it's the 111 service for health advice or whether it's going their GP for their regular health concerns," he said.

"Or possibly to the community pharmacy, because our community pharmacy colleagues can deal with a range of minor ailments - cough, cold, upset tummies and even emergency prescriptions."

He added his colleagues went "over and beyond" for its patients.

"They don't finish on time, they just stay extra trying to make sure their patients get the best treatment."

Follow BBC News South West on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].