What happens if a Hospital is too full to admit patients?

In the US, first, most hospitals already have empty beds available. So there are several plans that are implemented at the same time. Second, any patients close to discharge status will be re-evaluated to see if they can be discharged faster; e.g. get the most well persons home. Third, if there are patients awaiting transfers to nursing homes or rehab facilities, their moves will be expedited. Fourth, if a patient can be reasonably re-assigned to a different "related" unit, they will get moved to accommodate the influx---OR-- new patients get assigned to units that do not usually handle that type of patient. As an example: Almost any patient can be put on a Med-Surg unit except the most serious. Fifth, hospital administrators try to keep ICU beds free for incoming patients; patients who can be safely moved from ICU status are moved to units, if their condition is stable and they would be moved anyway in a day or two (time schedule is moved up if it is safe for the patient). (ICUs include MED ICU, Cardiac ICU, pediatric ICU, etc.)

After enough jostling of patients to other units, if the hospital census is still too high to accommodate more patients, especially if they don't have enough nurses, the hospital can declare (to emergency workers, e.g. 911 emergency services) that the hospital is temporarily closing to all new non-critical admissions and// or trauma patients etc are routed to nearby hospitals. If the hospital IS the designated trauma facility, all other hospitals receive non-critical care patients. The News will report to citizens to avoid using X hospital E.R. and go to other nearby hospitals. All elective surgeries will be cancelled until after the major situation is under control.

IF all else fails, and patient influx remains high, such as during a mass casualty situation like multiple vehicular accident or other community-wide emergency, gurneys for patient will line ER and hospital corridors. But still, hospitals must have enough skilled staff on hand. Nurses in the US frequently go on strike (AFTER a crisis) to pressure hospitals to hire more nurses. Nurses do not walk out on strike right when the over-crowding situation is occurring, because technically, they could be accused of patient abandonment if they did that. So the nurses handle the crisis first, then after the situation is resolved, they will try to bargain for more hiring, more staffing, higher wages, more benefits, etc. and even strike for short periods outside the hospital. During strikes Nurse Administrators must fill the roles of floor nurses, or the hospital must bring in per diem temporary nurses to work during the strike.