Hospitals in Devon are struggling to cope with a 'black' alert in place at Plymouth Hospitals Trust.
The stretch on services has spread across the south-west, with the Royal Cornwall Hospital also suffering overwhelming demand.
A spokesman for Plymouth Hospitals Trust said: "Since the end of December, we have faced unprecedented and sustained demand on our emergency and medical services, which has impacted right across the hospital."
The hospital has been in "critical internal incident mode" since the start of this year with Torbay and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital also struggling to cope.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here