The hospital trust behind facilities in central Lancashire has stepped down from the highest level of internal alert.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, stepped into OPEL 4 – the highest level of internal escalation – for the second time in January on Tuesday (27 January).
Moving to the Operations Pressure Escalation Level (OPEL) 4 means same day emergency care and virtual wards increase, non-essential meetings and activities are cancelled, patients and families urged to use their own transport rather than ambulance transfers and extra support from pharmacies to free up ward beds and the emergency department.
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The trust has stepped down from OPEL 4 but said it will continue to take OPEL 4 actions on Wednesday (28 January) to ensure a clear weekend.
Those attending hospital are urged to use A&E for only serious or life-threatening emergencies, to support loved ones by collecting them as soon as they are ready to leave, to be prepared for longer waits as patients are prioritised depending on the severity of their illness, and to bring essential items with you such as a charged phone, payment method and warm clothing.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “As you may be aware, we made the decision on Tuesday 27 January 2026 to escalate to the highest level of alert, known as Operations Pressure Escalation Level (OPEL) 4. Escalating to OPEL 4 is an important and rare decision and is based on the level of risk to patients and staff.
“Whilst our hospitals remain pressured and there are still significant challenges in areas, we have now de-escalated back to OPEL 3 at Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.
“Whilst we have returned to OPEL 3, the sites remain fragile and we will continue to take OPEL 4 actions today to ensure we have a stable position over the weekend.
“We would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while our clinical teams restore our services to operational capacity and we would like to thank our colleagues for their dedication and commitment to putting patients first during difficult circumstances.”
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