Critical incident declared in North Wales hospitals
A North Wales health board has postponed all non-urgent procedures after declaring a second critical incident in a fortnight.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board postponed non-urgent appointments and procedures in hospitals today to try and cope with the relentless demand.
It follows a critical incident being declared in mid-December.
The board, which covers Wrexham Maelor, Chirk Hospital and Mold Hospital, cited a high volume of patients presenting with flu, Covid-19, and other respiratory viruses as well as an increase in patients requiring emergency care.
This, combined with a shortage of beds and staff, is leading to extremely long waits for patients.
A representative for the health board said: "We are continuing to work closely with local authority colleagues to support medically fit patients to be discharged from hospital and we are making use of all available staffing.
"This is an exceptionally challenging time for colleagues across our health services and we are hugely grateful for the continued efforts being made in such difficult circumstances."
The health board was forced to take similar measures last month, postponing hundreds of appointments in December when services were hit by unprecedented winter pressures.
