HEREFORD County Hospital is expected to stay at “critical incident” status until this weekend at least.

Wye Valley NHS Trust chief executive Richard Beeken told the Hereford Times he was ready to make the “critical” call over Christmas and New Year but held off until other agencies were in a position to assist the hospital with unprecedented urgent care demand.

Senior medical staff at the hospital – put into special measures in October - are pressing for “critical incident”

status to continue to clear the backlog of patients, admissions and operations.

The critical incident call was made on Monday when 135 patients attended A&E and 57 emergency admissions were made.

By then, demand levels described as “unceasing and unprecedented” had taken the hospital to a “level 4”

alert – the point at which demand exceeds capacity by 30 to 40 per cent.

Daily attendances at A&E topped 164 over Christmas- New Year.

Though initial signs suggested pressures are easing off slightly, Mr Beeken confirmed “critical incident” status would continue.

The trust has the power to declare an internal incident if it feels pressures in A&E present a serious threat to the disruption of its services.

Critical incident status means: l Staff leave and training leave cancelled with support brought in from the trust’s staff bank, agencies, and volunteers for extra shifts.

- The cancellation of routine outpatients appointments to release consultants to urgent care.

- Elective surgery areas adapted for A&E assessment.

- A control room maintained as a situation management centre.

- Assistance sought from the Clinical Commissioning Group and Herefordshire Council from extra GPs to the faster confirmation of care packages allowing patients to be discharged.

Extra ambulance space has also been found with turnaround a major issue as emergency vehicles wait with patients while blue light calls come in.

At one point on Tuesday afternoon, seven ambulances - almost the entire fleet available to the county at the time - were waiting outside A&E to admit patients.

At the time of going to press, West Midlands Ambulance Service had not yet been asked to divert incoming patients away from Hereford A&E.