NHS stands down critical incident in county

A critical incident which was declared by the NHS in Shropshire amid a rise in flu, Covid and other winter illness cases has been stood down.

Vanessa Whatley, the chief nursing officer for NHS Shropshire Telford and Wrekin, said it had needed to introduce extra measures because of rising demand.

That included restrictions on visitors to the hospitals in Shrewsbury and Telford.

But she said the system remained under strain, partly because it had been an "extraordinary year for flu".

The critical incident was declared on Friday and remained in place over the weekend, before being stood down on Monday.

During that time the hospitals remained open for essential visitors only, including critical patients, birthing partners and "other select groups".

The trust also asked visitors to wear face masks and for those who are eligible to have had flu and Covid immunisations.

Ms Whatley said she would still encourage people to use the NHS 111 service for non emergencies and ask if a visit to hospital was really necessary.

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