High NHS demand as lockdown eases in Cornwall

Emergency admissions have increased since lockdown restrictions started to be eased

Cornwall's health care operation has been downgraded from the highest level of alert.

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Health and Care Partnership entered "OPEL 4" across its NHS and care system on Wednesday.

It said it had seen a "dramatic" rise in demand since Easter's easing of lockdown restrictions.

On Thursday, Paul Cook, NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group chairman, said they had now moved to OPEL 3.

The partnership had asked residents and holidaymakers to help ease the pressure by calling their GP or 111 for non-life-threatening conditions.

Dr Cook said: "We've made an improvement with everyone working hard. We are down to OPEL 3 but there are still significant pressures at Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske.

"It's rare for us to go to such a high escalation.

"General practice, social care, the ambulance service, as well as the hospitals; all of us were experiencing increased pressures, it wasn't just about one aspect feeling pressurised."

The partnership said declaring OPEL 4 across all parts of its NHS and care system was not "a decision that is taken lightly".

Ambulance calls outs, emergency admissions, demand for acute and community hospitals and the need for more care home places and home care packages had "increased dramatically" since lockdown restrictions began to ease after Easter, the partnership added.

The vast majority of those needing care are said to live in the Duchy.