PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(20 February 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the number of critical incidents declared at hospitals between November and January for each of the last 10 financial years.

Asked by:
Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat)

NHS England does not centrally record all actions taken by acute trusts or integrated care boards that exceed the Operational Pressures Escalation Levels (OPEL) 4 threshold, the highest level of pressure, where demand and capacity issues are critically affecting the ability to deliver services. Patient safety could be compromised

Oversight and support are delivered through locally implemented surge and escalation policies, which must be aligned with the OPEL 2024 to 2026 framework. The framework contains a number of actions which should be taken by the organisations involved in the delivery of care.

Answered by:
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