High Hospital Demand Causes Surgery Cancellations

By Emily Wells Thu, 31 May 2012 9:47AM

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Isle of Wight NHS is taking urgent action to reduce pressure on St. Mary’s Hospital in the run up to the Jubilee Holiday Weekend.

It's as a result of an extremely high volume of emergency admissions to St. Mary’s Hospital.

The NHS has decided to cancel all orthopaedic surgery which requires an inpatient bed, and postpone all general surgery requiring an overnight stay.

Day surgery procedures are continuing. Any patient who is affected has been contacted and the Trust will try to reschedule their operation as soon as possible. Patients who have not been contacted should attend their appointments as scheduled.

Dr Mark Pugh, Medical Director and Acting Chief Operating Officer, said: "We have taken measures to cope with the increased volume of emergency admissions that all hospitals are currently experiencing. We have seen an increase on average of 150 more patients per month attending the Emergency Department since the New Year. In the month of April alone we admitted over 100 more patients to the main hospital for treatment from the Emergency Department than we had done in the previous April.

"I am sorry that this has meant that we have had to cancel some surgery which I know will be a blow to patients who had prepared themselves to come into hospital. Over the past week we have put in place a number of measures to try and alleviate the pressure on the system. Every inpatient has been reviewed by a Consultant and daily ward rounds allow patients to be discharged as and when they are assessed as ready to go home. We are working with colleagues in general practice and social care to try and support patients in the community wherever possible.

"Anyone who has had their procedure cancelled, please bear with us. As we approach the Jubilee Holiday weekend I would urge Islanders to be mindful of the current situation when using local NHS services, in particular the ambulance service and the emergency department. We need your help by using NHS services appropriately, even more so at such a critical time."