September 29, 2022 6.11 pm This story is over 27 months old

Lincolnshire hospitals reassure after neighbours declare ‘critical incidents’

Operations have been cancelled in Grimsby and Nottinghamshire
ULHT has advised patients only to attend if necessary | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Lincolnshire hospitals are not currently facing cancelled operations that have happened in other areas, the trust says.

The neighbouring hospital trusts in Northern Lincolnshire and Nottingham have both reduced services this week due to mounting pressure.

However, this isn’t believed to be imminent in Lincolnshire.

Nottingham hospitals declared a critical incident last night.

Patients with the “highest level of need” will be prioritised and some operations will be postponed, it announced.

The Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust also warned earlier this week that they were facing “extremely high levels of demand.”

Outpatient appointments and elective surgeries were cancelled at Grimsby and Scunthorpe hospitals for the remainder of the week.

A spokesperson for the United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust has said it wasn’t in a similar position at this time.

Operations aren’t likely to be cancelled | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Problems for discharging patients were one of the problems cited by the Nottingham University Hospital Trust.

The ULHT didn’t respond to questions over whether this was also an issue in Lincolnshire.

Lincolnshire previously declared a critical incident in January due to the Covid-related staff shortages.

Another one was declared following a deliberately-started fire at Lincoln County Hospital in April.

Lincolnshire’s hospital services have warned about high demand for some time.

There have been record waits for ambulances, and reports of extremely long delays in A&E.

There have also been concerns from health bosses about a possible autumn wave of coronavirus and the flu virus.

There were 82 Covid-positive patients in hospital as of Wednesday, although not all of them had necessarily been admitted for Covid.