Critical Incident declared Thursday 22nd January 2026

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust has today (Thursday 22nd January 2026) declared a Critical Incident due to severe and sustained pressure on our services.

Demand on our hospital beds has exceeded all of our forecasted modelling and has led to significant and unacceptable delays in our Emergency Department (ED) and across our hospital wards. Patients are experiencing unacceptable and lengthy waits and staff are working under extreme pressure.

Tracey Brigstock, Chief Nursing Officer, has advised:

"We are experiencing exceptional pressure across our services, particularly in our Emergency Department. Despite our teams working tirelessly, demand is exceeding our capacity.

"Declaring a Critical Incident is not a decision we have taken lightly, but it is necessary to protect patient safety.

"We are asking the public to only attend the Emergency Department if they have a life-threatening emergency and to use NHS 111, GP services or urgent treatment centres where appropriate.

"I am sorry for the disruption this may cause and thank our staff for their continued professionalism. I also ask everyone to be patient and kind to our teams during this challenging time."

How can you help?

Please ensure you are choosing the right service for your care needs. For support on what services are available to you, please click here.

Only call 999 or attend ED for serious accidents and for life threatening emergencies. Where the situation is not life-threatening, alternative support will be available through NHS111 online or by calling 111.