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Critical incident declared by Isle of Wight NHS Trust

Mark Pilbeam St Mary's Hospital, Isle of WightMark Pilbeam
The hospital in Newport also declared critical incidents in September and August

A critical incident has been declared by the Isle of Wight's hospital trust.

The alert was announced by Isle of Wight NHS Trust on Thursday after it said St Mary's Hospital in Newport saw a rise "in demand for emergency care".

Hospital bosses said discharging delays for patients to return home or into social care meant the hospital "has again reached capacity".

The trust said only those with life-threatening conditions and injuries should attend its emergency department.

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In a statement the trust said: "We will continue to prioritise cancer treatment and urgent operations, as well as people who have already had long waits for their treatment but may have to postpone some planned surgical activity.

"Patients will be contacted if this difficult decision is taken."

It also urged people to collect family and friends from the hospital as soon as they are ready to be discharged so beds can be freed up.

The trust also declared critical incidents in August, and again in September.

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