Milton Keynes Hospital unit sees twice as many children as usual

The children's emergency unit at Milton Keynes Hospital said it has twice its usual number of patients for the time of year

A children's emergency unit said it had seen twice as many children than it usually does at this time of year.

More than 100 children are attending the unit at Milton Keynes Hospital each day and overflow areas are being used.

Staff have been working overtime due to flu, Strep A and respiratory viruses leading to conditions like bronchiolitis.

Chief executive Joe Harrison said it still had "sufficient clinical space" to care for everyone.

Paediatrician Zauzanna Gawlowski said numbers were "not showing any signs of dropping off"

Paediatrician Zauzanna Gawlowski said the children's unit would usually see a peak of patients in November "but it normally settles down".

"Where the issue really is, is the fact that this has gone on," she said.

"It started much earlier in the year and at this point is not showing any signs of dropping off."

Paediatric respiratory nurse specialist, Lorna Bass, said children had been "somewhat shielded" during Covid

Lorna Bass, a paediatric respiratory nurse specialist, said she thought they were seeing more cases of viruses at the moment because "all the children are out mixing again freely".

"I think because of Covid, children have been shielded somewhat and we're perhaps not wearing masks as much as we were," she said.

Mum Cheryl, whose son Archie has had a fever on and off for three weeks, said they had "a long wait" but "it's the best place to be when your children or any of us are unwell"

The whole hospital is busy and new visiting restrictions have been introduced, with every adult inpatient only allowed one visitor at a time, and those attending its emergency department should be accompanied by only one person.

If the emergency department is full, bosses said they would rather use space inside the hospital than put up a tent outside.

Chief executive Joe Harrison said the hospital still had "sufficient clinical space" to care for everyone

Mr Harrison said: "We have sufficient clinical space to look after all of our patients and if the worst came to the worst we would be able to use our theatres and operating space - all appropriate clinical space - to look after additional patients, so we're not planning for a field hospital." The hospital added that they were asking parents whose children are less seriously ill to think about using pharmacies and the NHS 111 service.