A critical incident has been declared today at University Hospitals Bristol & Weston (UHBW) NHS Trust.
Bristol Royal Infirmary, Children’s Hospital, St Michael’s & Weston General have all been overwhelmed by “exceptionally high demand” according to a statement from Professor Stuart Walker, Hospital Managing Director for UHBW.
Patients have been urged to call NHS 111 first and attend appointments unless told otherwise.
The situation is emblematic of a nationwide NHS issue, with charity Age UK reporting that 1.7 million people had to wait 12 hours for a consultation in 2024/2025, two-thirds of whom were over 60.
Susan, 79, waited for 22 hours after experiencing a heart attack, telling the BBC: “I heard two people die next to me.”
Age UK director Caroline Abrahams added that there was “rot eating the NHS heart” while the Royal College of Nursing called the situation a “moral stain”.
