Critical Incident Declared at Nottingham Hospitals as A&E Overwhelmed

UK Health

By Swikriti • January 13, 2026 • ~4 min read

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has declared a critical incident, warning that “severe and sustained pressure” is causing major disruption across its emergency department and hospital wards. The trust says demand has surged since Christmas, driven by winter infections and staff sickness, leaving patients facing long waits and overcrowded services.

NUH runs Nottingham’s two main hospitals, including Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), where the emergency department was built for around 350 patients a day but is now regularly seeing 500+ daily. The trust said its busiest day so far was 7 January, when 550 patients were treated. (Read the report via Sky News.)

The message from NUH is blunt: only attend A&E for a genuine emergency or serious accident. For everyone else, the trust says waits could be extremely long, and some patients may be redirected to other services.

What a “critical incident” means (and what it doesn’t)

A critical incident is a formal escalation used when a hospital believes pressures are so severe that normal performance cannot be maintained safely. It is not a closure, and emergency care continues. But it can trigger rapid changes to protect patient safety—such as shifting staff to frontline areas, postponing some planned procedures, and freeing beds as quickly as possible.

NUH’s chief operating officer, Andrew Hall, said the trust is experiencing pressures “like never before” and apologised for the “poor experience” patients are facing—adding that the decision was taken to protect patient safety and urging the public to treat staff with kindness.

Why the pressure has spiked in Nottingham

NUH says the pattern is familiar but the scale is not: winter infections, a post-holiday demand surge, and staff sickness have collided at the same time. The trust also said demand for hospital beds has exceeded forecast models, which can cause gridlock throughout the system—especially when discharges slow down and new admissions keep rising.

When inpatient beds aren’t available, emergency departments fill up, ambulance handovers can be delayed, and patients may end up waiting in corridors while clinical teams prioritise the sickest first. NUH’s medical director, Dr Manjeet Shehmar, said those who aren’t facing an emergency could have an extremely long wait and may be redirected to other services.

What NUH is doing now to ease the backlog

In response to the critical incident, NUH says it is implementing a range of measures to reduce pressure quickly, including:

• Postponing some elective procedures where it is safe to do so
• Opening all available beds across the trust
• Redeploying staff to the most pressured areas
• Suspending non-essential activities
• Working with NHS and local partners to accelerate discharges

Dr Shehmar also asked families and friends to pick up discharged patients as soon as possible and ensure they have what they need at home—because quicker discharges can help free beds for emergency admissions.

What patients should do today

If you live in Nottinghamshire (or are travelling through the area), the key is to choose the right service for the right problem. Use A&E for severe symptoms like chest pain, signs of stroke, serious breathing difficulty, major injury, or heavy bleeding. For urgent advice when it’s not life-threatening, use NHS 111 online (or call 111).

NUH also said planned appointments should go ahead unless you are contacted and told otherwise—so don’t cancel automatically.

Nottingham isn’t alone: wider NHS winter pressures

NUH’s declaration follows other critical incidents across England, including multiple hospital trusts in Surrey and one in Kent, amid a surge in complex A&E admissions and seasonal illness pressures. The wider picture has been reported by outlets including The Guardian and Sky News.

NUH’s own updates and patient guidance can be found via its official channels, including the trust site: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

For now, NUH says the priority is stabilising care pathways and reducing dangerous overcrowding—while staff continue to treat the sickest patients first. The trust is asking for patience, and for the public to use alternative services where appropriate, so emergency teams can focus on the most serious cases.

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