LONDON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Four hospital trusts in England have declared "critical incidents" on Monday as emergency services come under mounting pressure amid a sharp rise in winter illnesses, including influenza and norovirus.
NHS Surrey Heartlands said on Monday that three hospital trusts in the county of Surrey, about 50 km southwest of central London, had declared critical incidents due to "significant ongoing pressure" on their services. The declaration applies to the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.
The situation has been exacerbated by a recent cold spell, which has resulted in more frail patients requiring hospital treatment, alongside rising staff sickness rates, the health body added.
Meanwhile, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust in southeastern England, about 100 km east of London, has also declared a critical incident, citing "sustained pressures" at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.
The trust said its hospitals were facing "exceptionally high demand," driven by a continued high admission rate and a large number of patients suffering from winter illnesses and respiratory viruses.
In Britain, a hospital trust is responsible for running hospitals, community services, or ambulance services within a designated area. All such trusts operate under the National Health Service, the United Kingdom's publicly funded healthcare system that provides universal medical services to residents. ■