Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A SENSE OF SURGENCY
Trust cancels elective ops as infections rocket
THE Belfast Health Trust has cancelled elective procedures due to the rise in coronavirus cases.
Escalating pandemic surge plans, it moved its Covid intensive care ward from the Mater Hospital to City Hospital Tower Block.
The Trust has also cancelled 105 planned surgeries at the City and Musgrave Park hospitals for the next two weeks to free up staff.
In Belfast there have been 1,578 new infections and 26 people have been admitted to hospital with the virus.
There have been 59 admissions in the past fortnight.
The Mater Hospital ICU can care for 11 ventilated patients and it is currently caring for 10. The Trust said data shows more are on the way.
It is using this week as a “transitional period” to prepare for an admissions rise.
For a 10-bed intensive care unit, 80 members of staff are required, which does not include support staff and services.
Medical director Chris Hagan said:
“This decision was extremely difficult and one we did not want to have to make.
“We have, however, seen a significant rise in admissions related to Covid-19 in recent days and feel it is now necessary to move to this stage in our surge plan to ensure we can continue to deliver safe levels of care.
“To patients who have had procedures cancelled this week I apologise we are unable to provide the treatment you were expecting.
“We will do everything in our power to reschedule cancelled surgery over the coming weeks.”
Alliance Health spokeswoman Paula Bradshaw said the Health Trust needs to provide more communication over cancelled surgeries.
She added she had spoken to one constituent who arrived at hospital prepared for their procedure only to be turned away.
Ms Bradshaw said: “The Health Trust needs to ensure it is communicating with those patients who are due to have elective surgeries this week but have had them cancelled.
“I have spoken with one constituent earlier today who turned up for a procedure and was let down because it was no longer taking place.
“If it is not going to happen they need to let patients know, as many will have mentally prepared themselves for the procedure and gone through the isolation and testing..
“It is unfair for them to go through that only to turn up and find out their procedure is not happening, they need to be told.
“It is understandable that due to the rise in cases other services will have to be pulled back, but people must be told.” Ms Bradshaw also said the cancellation of procedures during the first wave of infections has led to a large backlog and delays for patients, including breast cancer screenings An ICU at Northern Ireland’s Nightingale hospital has also been reopened in response to escalating Covid admissions in Belfast.
The facility is not yet being stood up on a region-wide basis but will be accepting Covid-19 patients being treated within the Belfast Trust area.
Northern Ireland as seen seven more coronavirus fatalities to bring the death toll to 598.
In the last 24 hours, a further 863 people have tested positive - bringing the total number of infections to 21,898. In the last week, 6,286 people have tested positive.
To patients who’ve had procedures cancelled I apologise CHRIS HAGAN BELFAST HEALTH TRUST