As patients flooded the A&E department Barnsley hospital declared a “black alert”.

UK’s Barnsley Hospital issues a BLACK ALERT. It comes just days after doctors warned that hospitals will see a record in admissions that will put pressure on the NHS. Over 300 patients a day arrived at Barnsley hospital’s A&E department according to internal sources.

They declared an “OPEL 4 ” status which means “operational pressures escalation level”. It is the highest status a hospital can issue when it is “struggling or unable to deliver comprehensive care” and patient safety is at risk.

By Tuesday evening more than 80 patients were waiting to be seen in the department by doctors, with 20 waiting for beds that were not available. It s understood that the stress came from A&E sickness demand rather than from the COVID pandemic.

Earlier on Tuesday it was reported that the acute medical unit was over-stretched with 12 people waiting for beds and only 2 available.

An email to staff on Tuesday said that the hospital was experiencing “severe pressures due to the flow of emergency patients into and through the hospital”. Staff were urged to try and free up beds including “encouraging medical teams to facilitate discharge”.