St George's Hospital declares critical incident amid pressure

St George's Hospital has declared a critical incident and an urgent need to discharge some patients

A critical incident has been declared at St George's Hospital in south London due to "significant pressures".

In a letter sent to staff, chief operating officer Tara Argent explained "urgent action" was required and the hospital needed to discharge patients.

She urged staff to help identify those who could be sent home or into alternative care.

The hospital trust says its "emergency departments and hospitals are under extreme pressure right now".

It added: "Right now - like all parts of the NHS - we are not always able to provide the level of care we would like, and we are very sorry this is the case."

It said the pressures were expected to continue over the coming months.

Incident control room

Ms Argent's letter said the hospital had set up its internal incident control room, "which we are running via a command and control structure", and the hospital was being supported by "system partners to expedite discharges of medically fit patients".

All internal meetings had been suspended except site meetings and bed management meetings, the letter said.

The hospital trust said in a statement that to alleviate the pressure it was deploying trained staff from non-patient facing roles, supporting elderly and frail people in their homes to avoid admissions, introducing a "hospital at home" and remote monitoring service, as well as opening additional beds up on wards and prioritising the most ill.

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust has also released the same statement, saying its hospitals and emergency departments are "under extreme pressure right now" and announcing similar measures, such as a "hospital at home" service.

How to seek care

Both hospital trusts stress that if an incident is an emergency or life-threatening, residents should dial 999 or go to an emergency department as normal.

They say if urgent care if required, use NHS 111 online first, which is 24/7.

They also urged people to visit local pharmacies for advice on minor health concerns such as skin rashes, earaches and flu.

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