This in from the IW NHS in their own words. Ed
The IW NHS Trust has had to postpone some non urgent elective procedures today and tomorrow. (Friday 17th July). This is to accommodate the number of unwell patients in hospital.
Day surgery has continued today and is going ahead tomorrow.
Under significant ongoing pressure
Staff at the Trust are working incredibly hard across all services – hospital, ambulance, community and mental health, to ensure the Island’s health and care system continues to deliver safe, effective care whilst under significant ongoing pressure.
The Trust has all available bed capacity (215 beds) open to cope with the current demand along with ambulance, community and mental health services supporting care in the community.
The Trust is asking staff where possible to make themselves available for additional hours. Any staff – Nurses, Nursing Assistants or Allied Health Professionals – who want to work additional hours are asked to ring in to the Trust’s Hospital Control Room on ext 6600 or 6601.
Decision not taken lightly
Martin Robinson, the Trust’s Executive Director on Call at St. Mary’s Hospital says the decision to postpone a patient’s procedure is not one taken lightly:
“To ensure those people who are seriously ill and require urgent treatment are given the care they require, we have had to create some capacity in the system. To do this we have had to take the difficult decision to postpone some routine, non urgent procedures.
“Cancelling and rearranging operations is always the absolute last resort but unfortunately it has been unavoidable. It is particularly regrettable if this has occurred twice to a patient.”
Hope people understand the reason why
Mr Robinson continued:
“We realise that patients and their families have to make arrangements when they plan to go into hospital for an operation, and that a postponement can be a great disappointment and an inconvenience. We are sincerely sorry for this but hope people understand the reason why. We will try to reschedule operations as quickly as we can.”
All patients affected by the postponements will be contacted. All other patients who have not been contacted should attend for their appointment or procedure as scheduled.
Delays on discharging patients
The Trust is continuing to work with the local authority’s social service teams and the Island’s nursing and residential care homes to ensure those ready to leave hospital can be found appropriate placements.
Families and carers of patients’ who are fit to be discharged from hospital are being asked to do all they can to help ensure that their relatives and clients can leave hospital to be cared for in a more suitable environment as soon as they are ready.
It is well known that patients recover more quickly when in their own home or a non-hospital setting.
