In a statement yesterday, the trust said it was facing ‘sustained pressure' across its hospitals combined with ‘insufficient discharges to meet the demand of patients waiting to be admitted'.

A spokesperson for the trust confirmed today the critical incident remained in place. 

The announcement came after Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust and Surrey, Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust declared critical incidents earlier this week.

In an update issued yesterday, NUH said: ‘We remain in a critical incident as of 9am this morning. The overall position is improving, but we are still not where we need to be for our patients or staff.

‘Our hospitals are full, and we still have patients on corridors - although fewer than yesterday. 

‘What will make the biggest difference is a continued focus on discharging patients as effectively as possible, and we are grateful for the public's support in this.'