UHCW announced the critical incident had been stood down on Saturday 24 January after it was declared on Thursday 22 January.

A trust spokesperson said: ‘Although pressures have eased, our services remain very busy. We are continuing to see high demand in our emergency department and across our wards.'

The critical incident was declared last week ‘due to severe and sustained pressure on our services' leading to ‘significant and unacceptable delays'.

Announcing the incident, Tracey Brigstock, chief nursing officer, said: ‘We are experiencing exceptional pressure across our services, particularly in our emergency department. Despite our teams working tirelessly, demand is exceeding our capacity.'

Critical incidents have been stood down by five other trusts this month following a spike in flu and norovirus cases.