Colchester Hospital Stands Down "Major Incident"

26 November 2014, 11:10 | Updated: 26 November 2014, 11:13

Colchester Hospital has announced the "internal major incident" declared there is now no longer in place.

It was put in place on 13 November following an inspection from the Care Quality Commission the previous day which hightlighted conerns over the A&E department there.

The hospital says that, at the time of the visit, there were "over 60 beds were open, and nursing and medical staff were seriously over-stretched".

Once the "major incident" was put in place, members of the public were urged not to go to the A&E unless their condition was serious or life-threatening.

The Chief Executive of trust that runs the hospital, Dr Lucy Moore, said: "It was clear at the time of the CQC visit that our staff - particularly in the Emergency Department [A&E] and the Emergency Assessment Unit - were under serious pressure. 

"Pressure in the hospital has now been reduced, not least because people are considering carefully whether they really need to come to the Emergency Department.

"In addition - with the support of our health partners, including North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, GPs and community services - we are confident we will be able to discharge more patients from the hospital in the coming days.

"This will enable our staff to concentrate their efforts on the patients who really need acute care.

"When acute hospitals like Colchester General are under severe pressure, they can resolve the pressures only with the support of health partners who are willing to play their part in ensuring patients are cared for in the most appropriate settings. 

"Often the most appropriate setting is not an acute hospital. I am very pleased that our health partners in this part of Essex are now doing their level best to ensure services are delivered to patients in the most appropriate place."

The hospital also says patients are reminded that before visiting the Emergency Department (A&E) they should ask themselves whether they could get the help they need from elsewhere, such as their GP, their local pharmacy, from NHS 111, the Colchester Walk-in Centre or the minor injury units at the community hospitals in Clacton and Harwich.