A critical incident was declared at Blackpool Victoria Hospital due to “a very high demand for services” bringing “sustained pressure”, particularly in the Emergency Department.

The status was declared on Tuesday afternoon, with the hospital saying in a statement: “We are currently seeing very high demand for our services and are working hard to make sure patients are seen as quickly as possible.

"Due to this sustained pressure, particularly in our Emergency Department, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals has taken the decision to declare a Critical Incident.”

The statement added that the hospital has tried and tested plans in place to help manage periods of high pressure, and that “ensuring safe care for patients continues to be our first priority”.

"Unfortunately this means that patients accessing our services may experience longer waits than normal,” said the statement.

It advised that the A&E department should only be used for life-threatening illnesses and injuries, adding: “For conditions which are less urgent, please contact NHS 111, or visit a local pharmacy, walk-in centre or GP practice for advice and support instead.

“Members of the public can help us by taking simple measures to stay well this winter, such as getting winter vaccines when invited to, keeping warm, staying active, looking out for others, and choosing the right service when they need help.”

A critical incident in a hospital is a severe situation where resources are overwhelmed, jeopardising safe patient care due to extreme demand, such as flu surges, winter pressures or major disruptions, forcing the hospital to take extraordinary measures like postponing non-urgent care, redirecting patients, or seeking external help to restore normal operations and manage patient safety. It is said to signify a hospital operating beyond its capacity, impacting its ability to provide essential services effectively.

The critical incident declaration at Blackpool came almost a year to the day after Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that he was “distressed and ashamed” at the critical incidents declared across NHS trusts amid last January’s winter flu crisis.

His comments in a radio interview came after he had seen A&E patients confused and crying out in distress, while others had been being treated in corridors, during a recent visit to a hospital elsewhere in the country.

He promised to do everything he could to "make sure that year-on-year, we see consistent improvement".