Hospitals facing ‘extremely challenging’ next few weeks

Wave two is greater than first one, says Trust chief

HOSPITALS face an “extremely challenging” few weeks due to three key factors, according to the woman running them.

Rebecca Brown, acting chief executive at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said Covid pressures, winter pressures and routine operations have created a situation which has led to some treatment or surgery being postponed.

“It’s a very challenging time. We are absolutely in wave two and this wave is greater than the first wave,” Mrs Brown said in an interview with BBC Radio Leicester.

“Last time, there was a blanket national cancellation of electives. This time we’re trying to keep as much elective work as possible.

“These patients have waited a long time and we need to make sure they’re getting the right care.”

Some procedures have been cancelled as a result of the high number of Covid patients the hospitals are now treating, but the trust is trying to maintain appointments and services where it can.

Last week it was reported that 260 patients being looked after on city wards had tested positive for Covid19, with many of them needing intensive care.

Mrs Brown, said: “In the past week or so we have had to look at some of our electives.

“Where we can we are having to reduce or postpone some electives so we can support the staff to support areas like intensive care, so theatre staff will go and support the intensive therapy unit (ITU) teams.

“That does mean there have had to be some cancellations over the past week.

“We envisage it will continue for the next few weeks, until we see the impact of the national lockdown,

What we don’t want is for people not to use the NHS. We are here for everybody, but we want to make sure people use it wisely

Rebecca Brown (pictured)

because the impact of that lockdown for us won’t really come for another week or so.”

Mrs Brown apologised on behalf of the trust for those who have had operations postponed and urged people to continue attending appointments unless told otherwise.

Patients who are now on waiting lists will have their procedures rearranged as soon as possible, the trust said.

“What we don’t want is for people not to use the NHS. We are here for everybody, but we want to make sure people use it wisely,” she said.

“So, if you are unwell we have the 111 facility. Please use it – they will direct you to the right place for care, be it in the community at one of our hubs or at the hospital.

“The key message is our NHS in Leicestershire is here for all, we just need to use it wisely.

“We absolutely can cope. We will work as the three hospitals closely together to make sure we provide the right clinical care at the right time. It might mean there are cancellations so we can support staff in particularly stretched areas but we will be doing that to make sure we can offer that life and limb care, that emergency care, that cancer care and supporting patients that are Covid and non-Covid and need it.”

Mrs Brown said supporting staff was an important priority.

“Staff are the people that keep these hospitals safe,” she said. “We need to make sure we are supporting them with peer support, rest rooms, counselling if it is needed.

“ITU has been hit hard in the first and second wave, they have really had the challenges.

“But, there are some things to be celebrated, particularly in Leicester, we have done some amazing work with treatments on the wards for Covid so patients don’t have to go to ITU.

“We are a team. There is a camaraderie and the notion we need everyone no matter what their role is.

“We have some of the best staff in the country, probably the world.

“We are going to have to wrap ourselves around this group of staff for the next few years I think, but we will do that. It’s been an extremely challenging time.”