Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth are asking people not to attend the department unless it is life-threatening

Portsmouth Hospitals Trust tweeted earlier stating that South Central Ambulance Service have deemed a critical incident after being overwhelmed with emergency calls.

Queen Alexandra Hospital accident and emergency have since issued the following information:

Due to extreme pressures on services, we have declared a critical incident at QA Hospital. We have limited space to treat patients with life threatening conditions and injuries.

Please do not attend ED unless it is an emergency. Non-emergency attendances will not be seen and redirected to Urgent Treatment Centres. Do not call 999 unless it is a serious or life-threatening emergency as the ambulance service is also under intense pressure.

The safety of our patients and out staff remains our top priority, please help us by sharing this message. We will be reviewing the situation regularly and thank you for all your support during this difficult and busy time.

For more information check Portsmouth Hospitals Web Page:

https://t.co/7vT2GZ5MxZ