A hospital in south east London was forced to divert ambulances after fearing it could run low on oxygen due to rising coronavirus patients, according to reports.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Woolwich, declared a ‘major incident’ on Sunday, the Independent said.

Officials were reportedly worried oxygen flow could be disrupted and decided to divert ambulances to King’s College Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital. 

The Independent reported it saw messages that confirmed extra staff were brought in and the diversions were in place until at least 10pm on Sunday.

Several hospitals have been forced to declare major incidents over concerns about oxygen supply since the start of the pandemic.

The high number of coronavirus patients has led to a strain on physical pipes and infrastructure which has caused it to struggle to deliver enough oxygen.

Kings College also urged people to only go to A&E if they ‘need immediate medical care’ because it’s very busy.

Hospitals in the south of England have seen a ‘real rise in pressure’ as the number of coronavirus patients receiving treatment heads towards the April peak.

Paramedics in the capital are receiving almost 8,000 call-outs daily, and Boxing Day was described as one of London Ambulance Service’s ‘busiest ever days’.

The rise in patients come as hopes grow for the approval of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in the coming days, with volunteers ready to help roll out the jab nationwide, according to reports.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, told the BBC: ‘We’re seeing a real rise in the pressure for hospital services, but also other types of NHS services as well… ambulance trusts in particular are coming under extreme pressure, as are community and mental health services’.

Pointing towards issues in London and the South, Ms Cordery added: ‘Part of the issue is many more people coming through the door with Covid, but also people coming through the door with other conditions as well.’

The 7,918 calls received by London Ambulance Service (LAS) on December 26 was up more than 2,500 on the 5,217 received on the same day last year, and medics are receiving support from other ambulance services in the South.

Update:

A Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust spokesperson said: ‘We declared an internal incident at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) on Sunday 27 December as a precautionary step due to the high number of Covid-positive patients we are seeing at the hospital.’

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