Detailed Instructions: Generate the answer for a given question. The question requires common knowledge of English. Make sure that the answer is in detail, long, consistent with the context, and requires general knowledge of English. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question. Give a proper explanation to answer, and if necessary, provide the definition of various terms. And conclude your answer if it's long. If you have used other resources (e.g., Merriam Webster's.) to answer the question, include citations in your answer. You don't need to paraphrase the context of your resources, but make sure that your answer is consistent and complete.
Q: I sometimes see the term 'critical but stable' in the news. It is often used to describe someone who has been very seriously injured. For example (15 December 2019): '[A police officer] said the man who had been shot was in a 'critical but stable ' condition in hospital.' I understand that 'critically ill' means that life is in danger. Similarly 'stable' is the opposite. Quotes from www.lexico.com critically To an extreme degree with a risk of death. 'two critically wounded people died in hospital'. 'critically ill patients who were awaiting surgery' stable (of a patient or their medical condition) not deteriorating in health after an injury or operation. 'he is now in a stable condition in hospital' What does 'critical but stable' really mean?.
A:
You specify British English but the only other answer with a quote is from a US source. I was curious if it was materially different in the UK. The UK newspaper article critical and serious condition: what hospitals mean when they report a patient's state indicates it means much the same here. (the bolded part is the direct answer to your question) Sometimes, people will include a suggestion of whether someone's condition is stable, improving or getting worse. A 'Critical but stable' condition, for instance, indicates that someone is in a bad state but not likely to get worse in the short-term. Others recommend against using that phrasing, however, since being in a critical condition implies that a patient vital signs are not stable.