What is OPEL 4?

Operational Pressure Escalation Levels (OPEL) is a framework used by NHS England to bring consistency to local and system escalation. This improved effectiveness of oversight aims to improve patient safety, increase efficiency, enhance decision making and improve operational communication.

During times of winter pressure, it may be that we enter OPEL 4 on more than one occasion, when we meet the core parameters that determine OPEL 4.

These include:

• The percentage of patients spending longer than 12 hours in our Emergency Departments
• Time to Treatment (TTT)
• ED attendances and ambulance handover times.

More information about how and why OPEL 4 is declared can be found here.