A leaked memo to staff at the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) has confirmed the NHS trust is at its 'highest level of internal escalation' amid ongoing and increasingly mounting pressures being faced across the region.
The email, which was first leaked to The Sunday Times and shared with the Manchester Evening News on Thursday (December 29), tells staff at the trust, which runs four hospitals and community services within Salford, Oldham, Bury and Rochdale, that the NCA is at the 'highest level of internal escalation' and 'managing our situation as a Business Continuity Incident'.
The memo goes on to thank all staff for their hard work during an 'incredibly difficult and pressured time', as 'extremely high' numbers of patients continue to present at A&E, with 'limited free beds' available and a 'large number of patients waiting for discharge' across the Trust's hospitals.
