The Welsh NHS is currently facing extraordinary levels of pressure, particularly in emergency care. Rising Covid cases and staff sickness absence rates mean some hospitals have had to reduce bed capacity and limit the number of patients they're able to treat.
At least two of Wales' seven health boards have had to declare 'black alerts' this week where demand is so excessive that services cannot cope. This has led to non-essential care grinding to a halt and people being urged to visit areas like A&E only when their life is in danger.
Each health board has five escalation levels which indicate how pressurised services are, ranging from level one (steady state) to five (business continuity incident/black alert). To find out more about what a black alert means and how it affects patients and staff please go here.
