Critical incident stood down at Addenbrooke's A&E

A hospital which had 127 patients waiting at A&E, sparking a critical incident, has returned to normal conditions.

The incident was declared at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge on Tuesday after it experienced "unprecedented demand". It was stood down at 17:00 BST on Wednesday.

At one point, 127 patients were waiting in A&E with some waiting up to 24 hours for admission, while ambulances were queuing outside, according to a staff email seen by the BBC.

A spokesperson for Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust apologised to patients and thanked them for their understanding.

The internal staff email reported that ambulances had been unable to offload patients promptly and at one point, there were 15 waiting outside the emergency department with more expected.

The spokesperson said: "We are grateful to our staff for their hard work and the understanding of our patients during this exceptional period of high demand.

"We apologise to anyone who has experienced longer than usual waits during this time.

"Our staff continue to focus on managing demand safely and effectively and ensuring those with the most urgent clinical needs are prioritised."

In basic terms, a critical incident means an NHS trust or health body is struggling to meet the demands being placed on its services.

On Tuesday, the trust said it would prioritise patients with the highest level of need and urged the public "only to attend A&E in a serious and life-threatening emergency".

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