More than 100 hospital beds closed over norovirus

The trust said the situation had “significantly improved” and cases had subsided

A critical incident was declared in a hospital emergency department after a norovirus outbreak.

Four wards and more than 100 hospital beds were closed to admissions at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridgeshire, after an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug.

The Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), which runs the hospital, said the situation had “significantly improved” and cases had subsided.

Roland Sinker, chief executive at CUH, said the outbreak of norovirus at the hospital reflected the “unseasonably high peak in cases of norovirus in the community”.

At a meeting on Wednesday the trust said it had been forced to close hospital beds to new admissions across multiple wards due to norovirus.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service also reported there had been overcrowding in the department due to the unexpected outbreak.

Consultant Amanda Cox told the board that the number of cases had subsided.

She said: “There are still a number of norovirus cases in one ward, but it has very significantly improved and hopefully we will see an ongoing more stable position over the coming weeks.”