Surgery is suspended in healthcare crisis in SW

SURGERY, including planned and urgent cases, has been suspended at Cornwall’s hospitals as staff battle to keep on top of emergency admissions.

Both routine and urgent operations are being put off so that Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, Truro, St Michael’s at Hayle and the West Cornwall Hospital, Penzance, can concentrate on emergency admissions.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust said it has more than 40 people in hospital at the moment who are Covid positive which need to be isolated from others.

CORNWALL’S hospitals have suspended routine and urgent surgery due to continued pressures on healthcare services.

Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust’s (RCHT) medical director, Allister Grant confirmed yesterday that the “difficult decision” has been made so that clinical teams can care for people needing emergency treatment.

The Trust currently has more than 40 people in hospital who are Covid positive and nearly 50 more who are contacts and need to be isolated. It operates Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, Truro, St Michael’s Hospital, Hayle, and West Cornwall Hospital, Penzance.

He said staff are having to work extraordinarily hard and flexibly in order to care for patients across the county while the hospitals get through what RCHT hopes is “the peak” of Covid-related admissions.

In a full statement, Dr Grant said: “With Covid-related admissions remaining high and health and care services in Cornwall under continued pressure, we’ve taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend planned routine and urgent surgery at our main hospitals, so our clinical teams can care for people needing emergency admission.

“There has been no let-up in demand and we currently have more than 40 people in hospital who are Covid positive and nearly 50 more who are contacts and need to be isolated.

“A large proportion of the patients admitted for other medical problems or injuries have been unaware they have Covid until tested on admission and need to be cared for in separate areas to other patients.

“Our staff are working flexibly and extraordinarily hard to help us care safely for the higher numbers of people in hospital with Covid. This includes the orthopaedic and breast surgery teams at St Michael’s Hospital and the surgical unit team at West Cornwall Hospital who have changed the role of their wards to care for medical patients, whilst we get through what we hope will be the peak of C-related admissions.

“Anyone whose appointment needs to be changed will be contacted directly – there is no need to call us – otherwise patients should continue to come to hospital as planned, following the pre-admission instructions they will have received.

“We will go ahead with critical surgery for people with cancer, life and limb saving need, cardiology, and sightsaving procedures. We will also continue our work with the (private) Duchy Hospital in Truro to carry out as many operations there as we can.

“Our pressures are compounded by the unprecedented demand on the ambulance service, the severity of illness of those needing emergency admission, and more than 100 people in our three hospitals who are ready to leave but are in need of care or support packages. We are working hard with our colleagues across the NHS, in social care and voluntary services to ease the pressures we are under.”

He urged residents and holidaymakers to call their own GP first, or phone 111 if their health issue was not life-threatening, so the RCHT could concentrate on those in need.