Four NHS trusts in England declare critical incidents after ‘surge’ in A&E admissions

A critical incident – the highest alert level used by the NHS – is usually declared when A&E departments are not able to necessarily deliver all of their services safely. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Four NHS hospital trusts in England have declared critical incidents after a “surge” in A&E admissions driven in large part by patients with flu, norovirus and respiratory viruses.

Three trusts in Surrey and one in Kent sounded the alarm after a “surge in complex attendances to A&E departments”.