As you may be aware, we made the decision on Friday 17 April 2026 to escalate to Operational Pressures Escalation Level (OPEL) 4 at Furness General Hospital (FGH). This was driven by significant and increasing demand for our services.
While our hospitals remain pressured and there are still challenges, we have de-escalated back to OPEL Level 3 from 8.30am today (Monday 20 April 2026).
The decision to de-escalate was made because the pressure at UHMBT has reduced to a level which while still very significant, does not meet the national OPEL 4 criteria.
We continue to work closely with our system partners to support the Trust, and we will continue the focused actions we have put in place this week over the forthcoming weeks to improve flow across the site.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to you for your support during difficult circumstances.