Cath Byford, Chief Nurse at NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said:

“We can confirm that in Norfolk and Waveney the health and care system has declared a critical incident. Health and care services are under unprecedented pressure and we are working closely with our system partners and colleagues to keep services running and to create extra capacity to deal with the rise in demand for services.

We are seeing large numbers of very unwell people requiring 999 ambulance services and urgent hospital care. There are also ongoing challenges in discharging patients who are well enough to leave hospital, and we are seeing an increase in staff sickness - all of which leads to longer waits than we would like for patients to be seen and admitted. 

Because of these pressures, the health and care system in Norfolk and Waveney has declared a critical incident. This allows us to be able to take additional steps to maintain safe services for our patients and help us cope with the growing pressures.

Key actions include creating additional bed capacity in our hospitals and in the community, continuing to support the safe and timely discharge of people who no longer need to stay in hospital, providing additional support to care homes to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and redeploying staff where help is needed most.

Patient safety must take priority and we need to take action to make sure that those who are more clinically urgent get the help they need as quickly as possible. This means that many patients in less urgent need of care may have to wait longer than we would like. We apologise to those patients and ask for their understanding during this time of exceptional pressures.

Our teams continue to work exceptionally hard; and we would like to reassure our patients and the public that in spite of the challenges, essential services remain fully open for anyone who needs them so if you require urgent medical help, please continue to come forward.

The public can help us manage these periods of demand by ensuring they are seeking help from the most appropriate health services, and only attending A&E for serious accidents and emergencies. If you are unwell, visit NHS 111 online for 24/7 advice about the most appropriate care for your needs.

Getting your COVID-19 vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and reduce the risk of hospital admission as we move into January when respiratory infections often peak.

Across the country we’re seeing infection rates rise and we are urging people to keep up the basics with thorough hand washing, wearing face coverings as per the national guidance and ventilating rooms as much as possible - this also helps protect people against other seasonal bugs such as norovirus and flu.

We want to thank all our staff for going above and beyond during an extremely difficult and demanding time for the NHS.”