Omicron surge sees Staffordshire declare major incident

The decision to declare a major incident was made by the Staffordshire Resilience Forum

A major incident has been declared in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent because of rising Covid-19 cases.

The decision was made by a group including the NHS, councils and emergency services. It said the measure allowed for "greater co-ordination" between them to handle the pressures.

It is the third time since the beginning of the pandemic that a major incident has been declared in the area.

Hospital trusts around the country have already declared critical incidents.

The local group, known as the Staffordshire Resilience Forum, said the "recent surge in Coronavirus cases related to the Omicron variant" had led to the decision.

Dr Richard Harling, director for health at Staffordshire County Council, said: "Declaring a major incident will make sure that we are able to share resources where necessary which will be important as we expect that more staff may need to self-isolate."