§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if on divert is a phrase recommended by his Department to be used by hospitals that are unable to accommodate additional patients; and how often in the last three months hospitals in the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have been on divert. [178438]
§ Dr. LadymanOn divert is an expression used in the national health service to describe a technique used to manage variations in local demand for emergency care. NHS trusts are said to be on divert if they have agreed with their neighbouring trusts and strategic health authority that some or all of the emergency patients who would usually be taken to one of the hospitals within that trust will, for a temporary period, be taken to alternative hospitals. Information on the number of diverts at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust during the last three months, if any, is not held centrally.