Cornwall hospitals suspend surgeries due to pressures

In August, Royal Cornwall Hospital bosses said it was "the busiest we have ever been"

A hospital trust has temporarily suspended all planned and urgent surgery due to "continued pressure".

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust said it had made the "difficult decision" because of issues including rising numbers of Covid-19 patients.

The move means staff "can care for people needing emergency admission".

Earlier, health bosses in Devon raised similar concerns and South Western Ambulance Trust declared a "major incident".

In Cornwall, Dr Allister Grant, the trust's medical director, said: "With Covid-related admissions remaining high and health and care services in Cornwall under continued pressure, we've taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend planned routine and urgent surgery at our main hospitals, so our clinical teams can care for people needing emergency admission.

More than 100 patients are ready to be discharged but no care package is in place

"There has been no let-up in demand and [we] currently have more than 40 people in hospital who are Covid positive and nearly 50 more who are contacts and need to be isolated."

The trust explained that many of those patients were unaware they had Covid when admitted, but still needed to be cared for away from other patients.

The pressures have impacted on all three hospitals run by the trust, the Royal Cornwall in Truro, St Michael's in Hayle and West Cornwall in Penzance.

Dr Grant said: "We will go ahead with critical surgery for people with cancer, life and limb saving, cardiology, and sight saving procedures.

"We will also continue our work with the Duchy Hospital in Truro to carry out as many operations there as we can."

He also said there were "more than 100 people in our three hospitals who are ready to leave but are in need of care or support packages".

"We are working hard with our colleagues across the NHS, in social care and voluntary services to ease the pressures we are under," he said.

Residents and visitors are reminded to make sure they "choose the right services when it is not a 999 emergency".