The hospital says only those with "a serious and life-threatening emergency" should attend A&E
A hospital has declared a critical incident in its accident and emergency department due to high demand.
The incident was declared at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
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 said only those with "a serious and life-threatening emergency" should attend the department and apologised to patients for the long waiting times.
The trust spokesperson said: "We have declared an internal critical incident, which is an internal message to staff that our emergency department and wider hospital are extremely busy at the moment.
"It helps us take additional measures and means staff follow well-practised plans to keep patients moving through the hospital as smoothly as possible."
The internal staff email said ambulances had been unable to offload patients promptly and at one point there were 15 waiting outside the emergency department.
Another ambulance was on its way and 12 more expected in the next three hours, it added.
The spokesperson said: "Our emergency department continues to prioritise patients with the highest level of need and we ask the public to only attend A&E in a serious and life-threatening emergency.
"We apologise to any patients who are waiting longer than they would usually do given the increased demand for our services and would emphasise that our staff are working hard to provide the best possible care."
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What happens when a critical incident is declared?
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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