Wexham Park Hospital on black alert as A&E departments come under pressure

A 'black'' alert has been declared at Wexham Park Hospital this week as it struggles to battle 'significant pressure' and a crippling demand for its services.

The most severe status level has been issued at the hospital since Tuesday as it attempts to cope with an increasingly high level of seriously ill patients needing emergency care.

The black alert is issued when the hospital is at full capacity and patients are waiting in A&E for beds.

It also means routine operations can be cancelled to help free up bed space for the swelling numbers of patients needing treatment.

The status level of the hospital is changed each day using a traffic light system, with black being the most serious.

A statement issued by Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Wexham Park Hospital, said: "We are continuing to work with all our health partners to try and manage the pressure that is being felt across the whole area.

"Robust procedures are in place to ensure that our focus on the care of all patients remains our highest priority at all times, and that appropriate measures are taken to ensure that patient care and safety are not compromised."

The severe alert has been issued in the same week hospitals across the country have declared major incidents, meaning they are able to initiate special measures including calling in extra staff to cope with demand.

Despite the significant pressure being felt at Wexham Park, the trust says it has not declared a major incident.

The Frimley trust is now encouraging people to avoid unnecessary visits to A&E and to make appointments with GPs and use over the counter remedies for minor illnesses.

New NHS England figures released this week also heaped more misery on the country's hospitals, showing A&E waiting times were at their worse level in a decade.

In December, 92.34 per cent of A&E patients at Wexham Park Hospital were seen within four hours, failing to meet the 95 per cent target.

Nationally, from October to December 92.6 per cent of patients in England's hospitals were seen four hours, falling below the target.