Critical incident stood down at William Harvey Hospital, but hospital remains extremely busy
Today (30 September), East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has stood down the internal critical incident at William Harvey Hospital, Ashford.
This is possible because of the incredible hard work of our staff, and the support of local people in choosing the most appropriate service for their care.
Although the critical incident has been stood down, the hospital is still extremely busy, with the emergency department still under a lot of pressure. There are a lot of people waiting to be admitted to a ward, and our teams are caring for many acutely unwell patients.
Our message to the public remains the same – please use NHS services wisely and do not come to hospital unless your condition is life-threatening. If you attend with a less serious illness or injury you will face a long wait.
If your condition is not life-threatening, please consider alternatives to attending our Emergency Departments, such as:
· NHS 111 (online or by phoning 111) for advice and direction to the right service
· Pharmacies for minor illnesses
· GP practices and urgent treatment centres where appropriate.
It’s important that anyone who needs urgent medical help continues to come forward – using 999 in life-threatening emergencies and NHS 111 for other urgent care.
We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to our staff across our hospitals for all their efforts, both in the emergency department and across the wider hospital and Trust. We are also grateful to our partners and to local people for their ongoing support.
By working together and using services appropriately, you can help us ensure that those who need urgent care receive it as quickly and safely as possible.
We are continuing to work hard, with our partners across the health and care system, to safely discharge patients who no longer need acute hospital care and to care for people in the community, rather than bring them to hospital, where it is safe to do so.