Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Non-urgent elective procedures may resume
Our search is back on for all those local heroes, volunteers and good news stories to help raise spirits and celebrate our amazing communities
NHS Lanarkshire aims to reintroduce non-urgent elective procedures next month if Covid hospital admissions move in the right direction.
The decision was taken last month to temporarily postpone all non-urgent elective procedures and a targeted range of outpatient appointments for an initial period of four weeks.
This was extended for a further three weeks. A number of clinically urgent and priority procedures are not affected.
This allows NHS Lanarkshire to focus acute service delivery on Covid-19 inpatients and emergency care.
Treatments for urgent cancer care remained in place and all three acute sites continue to operate an emergency service for theatres and diagnostics.
The majority of outpatient appointments continue to be stood down in order to redeploy nurses to support the delivery of urgent and emergency inpatient care.
The number of patients being treated in Lanarkshire hospitals with Covid-19 peaked at around
350 during the second half of January but has gradually decreased this month.
Judith Park, NHS Lanarkshire director of acute services, said: “The number of Covid-19 patients in our hospitals has stabilised and is showing signs of falling, albeit gradually. However, ICU numbers remain high and there is still continued pressure on our resources.
“To ensure our services operate as safely as possible, we have taken the decision to extend the postponement of non-urgent outpatient appointments and planned procedures at all our
acute sites for a further three weeks.
“However, we are optimistic we will be able to reintroduce these procedures from the first week of March if the numbers in our hospitals continue to fall.
“The safety of our patients is always our top priority. Winter is always a difficult time for the NHS and the current pandemic has had an additional impact on our services.
“The decision to postpone any appointment is not one that we take lightly and I apologise for the impact this will have on patients. Most patients will
receive a text message confirming the postponement of their appointment.
“A small number of appointments will still go ahead as scheduled. Appointments will be prioritised based on clinical need and those patients who are deemed clinically urgent will be rebooked. Patients will receive a letter, text message or voice message giving details of their new appointment.”
Maternity and neonatal clinics will continue as normal in the meantime. Appointments for urgent referrals, including cancer referrals, are also still ongoing.
For generations, the Advertiser’s team has been moved and amazed by the achievements and resilience of the people of Airdrie and Coatbridge during the highs and lows that life inevitably brings.
During this ongoing time of uncertainty, where every day seems to bring new reasons to be concerned, we want to take the time to celebrate the amazing people going above and beyond in our area – as well as the good news stories that are perhaps being overshadowed.
That is why we are relaunching our feature, Celebrating Our Community, to highlight your local heroes’ inspiring acts, big and small, as well as the positive, uplifting, things happening amidst the outbreak of coronavirus in our area.
New family additions, charitable achievements and heartwarming tales are all welcomed as part of our new feature, which we will be running during this period and beyond.
●Help raise the spirits of other readers and enter your local heroes or positive stories by emailing news@airdrieandcoatbridgeadvertiser. co.uk and tell us about your inspirational person or good news.