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Planned surgical operations at Hull and East Riding’s two main hospitals are being suspended from January because of an expected surge in Covid-19 patients over the coming days.
The decision by the Hull University NHS Teaching Hospitals Trust was confirmed on Tuesday morning in a message to staff at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham.
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It means only urgent and emergency surgical work will take place from January 1 with scheduled elective activity such as cancer and heart surgery being once again put on hold.
The move mirrors what happened at the start of the pandemic in March last year when all elective surgery ceased with the exception of urgent and emergency cases, leading to a record backlog in hospital waiting times.
(Image: Jon Corken/Hull Live)
As a result of the new crisis, the trust is also again planning to redeploy staff from their existing teams to help ease the pressure on frontline services such as intensive care, the emergency department and some medical wards.
As well as the anticipated surge in Covid patients linked to the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant, hospital bosses are also trying to plan for an expected increase in staff absence because of the virus.
In London, staffing shortages in hospitals and ambulance crews linked to sickness and Covid isolation measures prompted the capital’s Mayor Sadiq Khan to declare a major incident at the weekend.
Latest figures show there were 55 patients with Covid-19 in Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill yesterday. Of those, two were in intensive care.
Overall, 989 patients have died at the trust’s two hospitals since March lastr year after testing positive for the virus.
In the message to staff, the trust’s director of workforce Simon Nearey said: “The situation with Covid-19 infections is extremely serious.
(Image: Katie Pugh)
“Omicron is spreading rapidly across the country. We are seeing new daily infections at over 90,000 per day.
“More people are going to be ill with this virus and it’s up to us to do everything we can to minimise the risks.
“We know that Omicron is having an impact on hospital admissions in the south of England and we anticipate that we will start to see more and more people presenting in our hospitals in the next few days.
“Consequently, we are viewing our surge plans and planning for this eventuality.
“Silver and Gold command structures are now back in place and decisions to protect the critical patient pathway will be enacted.
“The next few weeks will be challenging but we have been here before, we have learned lots over the last two years and we have talented people and teams who will respond. This is what we do and what we are best at.
“It is certainly not easy and I know colleagues are tired but together we can once again rise to this challenge.”
Mr Nearey said redeploying staff away from elective surgery duties was a difficult but necessary measure to take
He added: “I appreciate this is not easy and it is an action we would prefer not to take but we have to plan and take action based on our worst case scenario so we are ready and can respond to every eventuality.”
As part of the new surge plan, the trust is also cancelling all non-essential staff meetings and training sessions with immediate effect.
Mr Nearey said: “Like me, you may have thought the worst of this pandemic was over but clearly it is not. If this virus has taught me anything it is not to take it for granted.
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“We will come through this further challenge because of you – our incredible staff – and because of our amazing team spirit that shines bright whenever emergency situations arise.
“Thank you for your continued support and dedication.”
A spokesperson for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which operates Hull Royal and Castle Hill, declined to comment until it had confirmed the details of its plans with staff.
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