George Eliot Hospital Maternity Unit Ends Critical Incident After Lift Failures

The maternity unit at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton experienced a critical incident after both lifts became inoperative, with one lift breaking down while the other was under refurbishment. This forced the hospital to close the maternity department to new admissions temporarily and implement a telephone triage system to support patients needing advice. Despite the closure to new admissions, antenatal appointments, including scans, continued as normal, though patients were advised to use the stairs and contact the hospital if this posed difficulties. The hospital emphasized patient safety as a priority and apologized for the disruption, urging women with urgent needs not to delay seeking help. The technical issue has since been resolved, and the unit has resumed accepting new admissions, although one lift remains under refurbishment. Patients and visitors are still encouraged to use stairs where possible to prioritize lift use for clinical activity.