BOOSTER PUSH SEES MAIN HOSPITALS CANCEL ALL NON-URGENT OPERATIONS

ALL non-urgent operations and appointments have been cancelled with immediate effect across North Wales’ main hospitals.

The health board has announced that due to the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, all non-urgent operations, procedures and outpatient appointments have been postponed with immediate effect from Monday.

A statement on Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board’s website said: “Getting booster jabs into the arms of all eligible adults over the next 10 days is critical if we are to protect NHS services in January. This represents a huge challenge - particularly as we are forecasting that a significant number of staff may be absent from work due to COVID-19 infection or self-isolation over the coming weeks.

“To ensure we can deploy staff as effectively as possible, we have reluctantly taken the very difficult decision to postpone non-urgent operations, procedures and outpatient appointments with immediate effect.

Emergency surgery, urgent cancer treatment and maternity services will continue across North Wales’ three main hospitals. Patients whose procedures will be postponed will be contacted directly and have been asked not to contact hospitals directly.

The health board said it had administered 66,000 jabs last week, more than doubling the previous week’s numbers.

Dr Nick Lyons, Executive Medical Director at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “This is the best way of protecting our workforce and delivering our vaccination programme. In turn, this will help to protect our services throughout the winter months.

“We understand this will be distressing news for patients who are expecting to undergo an operation or receive their appointment over the coming weeks and I sincerely apologise for this. We will be regularly reviewing these changes in light of emerging evidence and transmission rates across North Wales.”