Overview
- Royal Stoke declared a critical incident to enable extra measures to maintain safe services, said chief operating officer Katy Thorpe.
- The trust urged the public to use A&E only for serious or life‑threatening emergencies.
- Emergency departments will see the sickest patients first, which could mean much longer waits for some people, said chief medical officer Dr Diane Adamson.
- Hospital leaders reported a week of severe and sustained pressure that intensified over the weekend.
- Local reporting indicated the incident also covers County Hospital in Stafford, as the trust works with NHS and local authority partners to speed safe discharges and free beds.