UHCW – which runs the hospital in Walsgrave, Coventry, has declared a critical incident due to increasing pressure
UHCW has declared a critical incident due to pressure on its emergency department(Image: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)
Wait times at Coventry A&E are still under pressure – after the hospital trust declared a critical incident earlier this week.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) said on Thursday evening (22) that demand on the hospital led to ‘significant and unacceptable delays’.
People are being asked to carefully choose the right service for their condition as wait times continue to be high this morning (Saturday 24).
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The live wait times page of UHCW’s website shows that waiting times at UHCW’s emergency department in Clifford Bridge Road are more than six hours this morning.
The children’s emergency department also has wait times of more than six hours.
The Minor Injuries Unit however has wait times of less than one hour – as does the Rugby Urgent Treatment Centre at the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby (although the UTC does not see children under the age of five).
Both these services are open 24 hours a day.
The Coventry Urgent Treatment Centre in Stoney Stanton Road is also open from 8am to 10pm daily.
Other services include the emergency gynaecology unit and the Coventry emergency eye unit, both based at Clifford Bridge Road.
In a statement issued on Thursday the hospital said patients are experiencing unacceptable and lengthy waits and staff are working under extreme pressure.
Tracey Brigstock, Chief Nursing Officer, added: “We are experiencing exceptional pressure across our services, particularly in our Emergency Department. Despite our teams working tirelessly, demand is exceeding our capacity.
“Declaring a Critical Incident is not a decision we have taken lightly, but it is necessary to protect patient safety.
“We are asking the public to only attend the Emergency Department if they have a life-threatening emergency and to use NHS 111, GP services or urgent treatment centres where appropriate.
“I am sorry for the disruption this may cause and thank our staff for their continued professionalism. I also ask everyone to be patient and kind to our teams during this challenging time.”
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