![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/3_Untitled-design-32.jpg\")
The four University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust’s hospitals (clockwise from top left) Queen Elizabeth, Good Hope, Solihull and Heartlands <\/p>\nThree city hospitals are experiencing big demand for their services and are ‘overcrowded’ with much longer wait times than usualThe four University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust’s hospitals (clockwise from top left) Queen Elizabeth, Good Hope, Solihull and Heartlands <\/p>\n
A critical incident has been declared at the Trust responsible for three Birmingham<\/a> hospitals and another in Solihull<\/a> – leading to huge A&E wait times.<\/p>\n University Hospitals Birmingham NHS<\/a> Foundation Trust said its hospitals were under \u2018extreme pressure\u2019 due to demand at its emergency departments, which were ‘overcrowded’, and for beds. It declared the critical incident at 6pm yesterday, Monday, December 8.<\/p>\n The hospitals affected are the Queen Elizabeth<\/a> in Selly Oak<\/a>, Heartlands<\/a> in Bordesley Green<\/a>, Good Hope<\/a> in Sutton Coldfield<\/a> and Solihull Hospital<\/a> too.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Fewer patients seen within A&E ‘four hour’ target<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n A&E wait times<\/a> were said to be nine hours and 33 minutes at Heartlands, seven hours and 29 minutes at Queen Elizabeth Hospital<\/a> and five hours and 16 minutes at Good Hope as of 9.55am today, Tuesday, December 9.<\/p>\n Wait times were lower at Solihull Hospital\u2019s Urgent Treatment Centre – 46 minutes.<\/p>\n The spike in demand was, in part, caused by an influx of patients with flu, with \u2018exceptional numbers\u2019 now reaching 269 inpatients across all sites with the debilitating infection.<\/p>\n The Trust urged patients to think where they go for treatment, with A&E only for serious or life-threatening conditions.<\/p>\n In a post on each of the hospitals\u2019 social media pages it said: \u201cUrgent message for local patients.\u2757<\/p>\n \u201cDue to the extreme pressures in our emergency department, demand for beds and numbers of patients with flu, we have declared a critical incident.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease consider other services for any minor healthcare needs.<\/p>\n![\"Birmingham](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_JS273768833.jpg\")
Birmingham Heartlands Hospital(Image: Jonathan Hipkiss\/Birmingham Mail)<\/p>\n