Shropshire health bosses issue update on 'critical incident' at county hospitals
Health bosses have updated the status of a 'critical incident' covering Shropshire's emergency hospitals and health system.
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Officials have confirmed that the critical incident covering Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which manages both Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, was declared over on Saturday.
The 'system-wide' critical incident has also been stood down, as of Sunday.
A critical incident was declared on Friday amid significant pressure on the county's health services.
The status allows health bosses to focus resources on different areas to try and cut down on delays affecting emergencies.
As a result SaTH also announced limited visiting at its hospitals, and the reintroduction of facemasks, to help reduce the spread of infections.
In the wake of the developments Vanessa Whatley, chief nursing officer at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, urged people to look at other services available to help - such as NHS 111 or pharmacies - if it is not an emergency.
Speaking to BBC Radio Shropshire she said: "There is lots of places that people can get help and support and although the critical incident have now been stepped down after that burst of activity over Friday and the weekend, we have really, really got to make sure we get these messages through about the importance of using NHS 111 for non-emergencies and the pharmacies can be really helpful, especially with the symptoms of respiratory infections and things like flu as well.
"So urgent, life-threatening situations still need A&E or 999 but using these services that are available in the community mean you will get treatment a lot quicker than going to the hospital."
Asked about the impact of the demand on hospitals she added: "It just means it's harder to get to the people who really need treatment or that people have to wait for a really long time so that's frustrating for everybody if you are sat waiting for treatment.
"We obviously understand some people need that treatment in hospital but if you don't need that treatment in hospital then use those community services."
