Critical incident stood down at hospital

A critical incident at a Kent hospital has been stood down after it warned of high patient numbers and "extremely long" waits.

On Monday, East Kent Hospitals NHS trust urged people to stay away from the A&E department at Ashford's William Harvey Hospital (WHH) unless they had "a life-threatening illness or injury" or were "collecting someone being discharged".

Beds across its hospitals were full, it said, but WHH had seen "ongoing and exceptional demand" for its services.

However, despite downgrading the situation on Wednesday, a trust spokesperson said WHH was "still extremely busy, with the emergency department still under a lot of pressure".

"There are a lot of people waiting to be admitted to a ward, and our teams are caring for many acutely unwell patients," they added.

"Our message to the public remains the same - please use NHS services wisely and do not come to hospital unless your condition is life-threatening."

Warning of continued long waits, the trust asked people to instead consider alternatives, such as dialling 111 and visiting their local GP surgery or pharmacy.

It offered a "heartfelt thank you to our staff across our hospitals for all their efforts, both in the emergency department and across the wider hospital and the trust".

"We are also grateful to our partners and to local people for their ongoing support," it added.

"By working together and using services appropriately, you can help us ensure that those who need urgent care receive it as quickly and safely as possible."

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