Announcements came yesterday from Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust and Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), with Sherwood Forest Hospitals standing down its critical incident today. 

NUH said patients were still experiencing long waits in ED, however, and demand for beds remained extremely high with many wards continuing to care for more patients than usual.

Andrew Hall, chief operating officer, said: ‘While we are out of the critical incident, we are not out of the woods. Our hospitals remain exceptionally busy.'

Ed Cetti, chief medical officer at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said: ‘While we have now stood down from critical incident, our services remain very busy and winter challenges persist across the system - including continued high levels of demand and acuity, winter viruses and delays in moving patients who are ready to go home.'

Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust said services remained very busy and winter challenges continue, including sustained high demand, the impact of winter viruses and delays in discharging patients who are ready to go home.

Simon Illingworth, chief operating officer at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: ‘While we are out of the critical Incident, demand for beds remains high and our hospitals remain exceptionally busy.' 

Elsewhere, critical incidents remained in place at East Kent Hospital University's the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital and East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

Adrian Marr, interim chief executive at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘Like many hospitals across the country, we are seeing increased demand for our services. There is significant pressure on our hospitals and we have declared a critical incident at the trust.'