Critical Incident Declared at George Eliot Hospital

The hospital says please do not call unless you have an urgent need.

Due a technical issue, the lifts in the maternity department at George Eliot Hospital are not currently working, and the Trust has declared a critical incident.

The George Eliot Hospital, said: "To ensure our patients continued safety the difficult decision has been made to close the maternity department to all new admissions until further notice.

"The hospital will still be providing a regular triage service for women in need of support and advice via telephone on 02476 865 246.  Please do not delay contacting us if you need urgent advice.

"Patients will be provided with an assessment and may be diverted to other providers depending on clinical need.

"All other patients affected will be contacted directly, please do not call unless you have an urgent need.

"Antenatal appointments, including those for scans are not affected, but please be aware that you may have to use the stairs in the department. Please ring the antenatal unit if this is an issue to make other arrangements.

"We apologise for any inconvenience this causes and aim to fix the issue as soon as possible."