Critical incidents ongoing at Nottingham and Nottinghamshire hospitals

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust runs the Queen's Medical Centre

City and county hospitals in Nottinghamshire are on day six of a critical incident.

The county's NHS trusts made the move on 29 December due to a "large number of very poorly people" being admitted to A&E with respiratory conditions.

The trusts - Nottingham University Hospitals and Sherwood Forest Hospitals - announced the same move earlier in December.

Within one trust, almost 200 patients are fit to leave but need onward care.

A critical incident is declared when front-line services are facing intense demand and means non-emergency hospital treatment is halted.

On Tuesday, Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS trust said 118 people had been treated in the accident and emergency (A&E) department, with 60 waiting for a bed.

Another 196 are medically fit to leave but cannot be discharged due to a lack of suitable accommodation or care.

Meanwhile, NHS England data shows a rise in flu and Covid patients occupying hospital beds across the eight acute hospital trusts in the East Midlands.

Last week Sherwood Forest Hospitals (SFH) NHS trust - which oversees King's Mill, Newark and Mansfield Community Hospitals - said it was caring for 76 patients with flu and a further 68 patients with Covid.

It said 87 patients had been medically fit to leave hospital but were still waiting to be discharged.