University Hospitals of North Midlands have declared a critical incident.
In a statement, Simon Evans the Chief operating officer said that both County Hospital in Stafford and Stoke University Hospital had been under sustained pressure since Christmas with a rise in demand over the last 24 hours.
the pressure is greatest in their emergency departments, who are facing on-going challenges as patients are unable to be admitted to beds promptly.
During this time the emergency departments will see the sickest patients first, which means for some patients there may be much longer delays for their treatment.
The trust has asked patients to only use A&E in a serious or life-threatening emergencies.
