- The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital has declared a critical incident, citing extreme heat and humidity as impacting its ability to deliver services.
- This follows similar critical incidents announced by Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Wednesday.
- University Hospital Southampton also declared a critical incident on Thursday, leading to the cancellation of planned operations and some outpatient appointments.
- The ongoing heatwave has caused significant operational issues, including the failure of chiller units and the inability of MRI scanners to function across several hospitals.
- Critical incidents are implemented when health and care services face such severe pressure that special measures are required to ensure patient safety and restore normal operations.
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