January 5, 2021 12.33 pm This story is over 38 months old

Critical incident declared at Lincoln hospital

More people with COVID need hospital treatment
Lincoln County Hospital. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Update: The incident has now been stood down – see the latest here.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has declared a critical incident at Lincoln County Hospital due to the “large number of patients requiring admission”.

On the evening of Monday, January 4, there were 198 patients with coronavirus in the Lincoln and Boston hospitals and staff shortages due to COVID infections and self-isolation.

Patients are being advised to continue to attend appointments unless contacted directly.

Patient visiting at all of ULHT’s hospitals was suspended in November last year and the trust said the current visitor restrictions remain in place.

Mark Brassington, Deputy Chief Executive at ULHT, said: “We are sorry for the waits that our patients have faced yesterday (Monday) and overnight.

“The number of inpatients who have been confirmed as having COVID-19 across our sites remains higher than in wave one and we remain extremely busy across our wards and intensive care units.

“Our position is compounded by challenges with staffing due to a lack of availability of colleagues due to a number of factors.

“We would like to thank all of our colleagues for all they are doing to support each other and for continuing to care for patients during these difficult times.

“The public can help by ensuring they follow government guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and by ensuring they use the most appropriate NHS service for their condition.”