Both QMC and City Hospital have been placed on ‘black alert’, meaning that both hospitals are unable to cope with demand.
Black alert is the highest level of alert and means that the hospitals are under severe pressure and are struggling to cope with the amount of people that need their services.
A hospital being placed on black alert is reported as a ‘serious incident’ to NHS England, which can be reported when a service at the hospital is threatened.
‘Serious incidents’ are also reported where one or more patients, staff members, visitors or members of the public experience serious or permanent harm or alleged abuse.
QMC have said that the accident and emergency department remains open but are asking patients to avoid coming to the department unless it is a real emergency.
Dr Alun Harcombe, divisional director for medicine, said: “Staff are working tirelessly, very often in the most difficult circumstances, to do the best for patients.
“We are working closely with our health and social care partners across Nottinghamshire to provide timely emergency patient care in hospital as well timely transfers of care out of hospital to other facilities in the community.
“We ask the public to help our patients, families and staff and only use the emergency department in a real emergency.
“Please consider walk-in centres and minor injury units or 111 and pharmacies for minor injuries or illness advice.”
Yesterday (Monday November 28), the Trust that runs QMC and City Hospital announced that they will leave their current cleaning contractors Carillion.
Hospitals bosses said that they ‘continued to be concerned about the performance of the contract’ after ‘serious conerns’ were raised last month.
Campaign group Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) lodged a protest against Carillion when the Trust Board met last Thursday (November 24) with a giant rat.
