Isle of Wight NHS trust declares another critical incident

The NHS trust had previously announced a critical incident in August due to high demand

A hospital trust has declared another critical incident due to "sustained pressure" on its services.

Isle of Wight NHS Trust said it could only treat new patients with life threatening conditions and injuries.

Cancer treatment, urgent operations and those who have had long wait times will be prioritised.

The trust has seen the same high demand and "difficulties in discharging people into social care" as when it announced a critical incident in August.

"The safety of our patients and our staff remains our top priority," Steve Parker, the trust's medical director, said.

He added: "We are working closely with partners to improve the flow of patients through the hospital and we are appealing to our local community to help us ensure that patients get home as soon as possible."

The incident comes ahead of Health Secretary Thérèse Coffey's NHS plan, which was announced in the House of Commons today.

As part of the plan, Dr Coffey called for the one million volunteers who stepped up to support the NHS during the pandemic to come forward again.

The plan also introduced measures that aim to improve access to general practice so all patients who need an appointment can get one within two weeks.