Nottingham's hospitals have declared a 'critical incident' due to extreme pressures on the service.
Nottingham University Hospitals have declares OPEL 4, formerly known as black alert, due to a high number of patients.
Lisa Kelly, chief operating officer at NUH said: “This morning we have declared a critical incident. This is following a number of days seeing exceptional pressure across the system, with high numbers of very poorly patients arriving at our Emergency Department.
"This is not unique to Nottingham, and hospitals across the country are also experiencing similar pressures.
“We already have health and social care partners on site, so we continue to work closely with them to identify capacity in the community whilst focusing on prioritising timely discharges and getting patients ready for transport to create the capacity we need.
“Finally, I would like to thank our staff and system partners who are working incredibly hard ensuring that our patients are safe and getting the care they need.”
Patients have been advised to think carefully about which treatment they need before going to A&E.
