Sherwood Forest Hospitals has declared a critical incident

Sherwood Forest Hospitals has today declared a critical incident in response to the sustained pressure we continue to face across our hospitals, combined with the challenges we are experiencing with insufficient discharges to meet the demand of patients waiting to be admitted.

Here’s what we need you to do to help. If you think you need your NHS but it’s not an emergency, please:

• Think NHS111 first. You can visit NHS111 online or call 111 for advice on where to go to access the treatment you need.
• Seek advice from your local pharmacist, who may be able to help, including by suggesting over-the-counter treatments for many less serious conditions. Some local pharmacies are open out-of-hours. Find a pharmacy.
• Contact your GP team during their normal opening hours for all other conditions.
• Work with our hardworking teams to help your loved ones, who are ready to be discharged, to get home as soon as possible.
• Continue to attend appointments as planned unless we contact you.
• Only attend our Emergency Department if it is an emergency- please consider other treatment choices.

We sincerely apologise for the impact this is having. Despite the best efforts of our colleagues, we realise patient experience is not what we would want it to be.

We continue to ask everyone to treat our staff with kindness and respect as they continue to work to provide patients with the care they deserve and need.

We thank you for your ongoing support.