Hospitals in Devon declare critical incident

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust declared a critical incident

Hospitals in Devon have declared a critical incident.

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust said its emergency department at Derriford Hospital was "very full".

A critical incident, the highest alert level, is declared when health bosses are concerned they cannot provide priority services.

The trust declared the incident at 08:30 GMT on Monday and said it was due to sustained higher emergency attendances since the end of last week.

It said staff may redirect anyone who does not have an emergency or life-threatening condition to NHS 111, the urgent treatment centre at the Cumberland centre in Plymouth or minor injury units at Kingsbridge and Tavistock.

In a statement, the trust said anyone with a "very serious or life-threatening emergency" should still go to the emergency department.

NHS Cornwall also declared a critical incident on Sunday due to pressure on the emergency department at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

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