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<\/p>\nUHCW – which runs the hospital in Walsgrave, Coventry, has declared a critical incident due to increasing pressure<\/p>\n
UHCW has declared a critical incident due to pressure on its emergency department(Image: Joe Giddens\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n
Wait times at Coventry A&E are still under pressure – after the hospital trust declared a critical incident earlier this week.<\/p>\n
University Hospitals Coventry<\/a> and Warwickshire<\/a> (UHCW) said on Thursday evening (22) that demand on the hospital led to \u2018significant and unacceptable delays\u2019.<\/p>\n People are being asked to carefully choose the right service for their condition as wait times continue to be high this morning (Saturday 24).<\/p>\n Read more: Stunning walks and a village full of pubs in hidden Midlands valley<\/a><\/p>\n Read more: 10 Coventry pubs from 2008 – how many can you name?<\/a><\/p>\n The live wait times page of UHCW\u2019s website shows that waiting times at UHCW\u2019s emergency department in Clifford Bridge Road are more than six hours this morning.<\/p>\n The children\u2019s emergency department also has wait times of more than six hours.<\/p>\n The Minor Injuries Unit however has wait times of less than one hour – as does the Rugby<\/a> Urgent Treatment Centre at the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby (although the UTC does not see children under the age of five).<\/p>\n Both these services are open 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n The Coventry Urgent Treatment Centre in Stoney Stanton Road is also open from 8am to 10pm daily.<\/p>\n Other services include the emergency gynaecology unit and the Coventry emergency eye unit, both based at Clifford Bridge Road.<\/p>\n In a statement issued on Thursday the hospital said patients are experiencing unacceptable and lengthy waits and staff are working under extreme pressure.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “Declaring a Critical Incident is not a decision we have taken lightly, but it is necessary to protect patient safety.<\/p>\n “We are asking the public to only attend the Emergency Department if they have a life-threatening emergency and to use NHS<\/a> 111, GP services or urgent treatment centres where appropriate.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n