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A doctor usually deployed to major disasters was sent in to a Midland hospital’s under-pressure A&E department after the region’s ambulance service demanded action.

The medical incident officer was brought in to care for patients at Worcestershire Royal Hospital on Friday after West Midlands Ambulance Service called for help as 999 medics treated patients in a corridor because hospital staff were all busy.

The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said circumstances were “less than ideal”.

A Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust spokesman apologised for last Friday’s incident, and said it was “working very hard” to prevent it from happening again.

The trust spokesman said: “We can confirm that on Friday April 10, West Midlands Ambulance paramedics were asked to look after a number of patients in the corridor before they could be transferred in to the care of the A&E staff.

“Whilst the A&E department were unable to allow the ambulance staff to hand over the patients, the A&E staff were aware of their conditions and we wish to assure people that no patients came to any harm.”

The spokesman said the medical incident officer was brought in after concerns were raised by the West Midlands Ambulance Service.

The spokesman added: “Both the hospital and ambulance service are working under extreme pressures at the moment, due to a number of external factors. Regretfully these pressures have meant some patients being treated in less than ideal conditions and we accept this is not good enough and are working very hard to put this right.

“We are sorry for any distress caused to patients and their families. We now need to work together with the ambulance service and other partners to sort the situation out as soon as possible.”